Rajmahal-AG road to be vendor-free
BHUBANESWAR: Vendors will not be allowed to put up stalls, shops or park pushcarts along the left side of the road connecting Rajmahal Square with AG Square. The decision has been taken to decongest the road.
During busy hours, traffic moves at snail’s pace, particularly in the evening, because hundreds of vendors have set up stalls, narrowing the road.
Also, the left side of the road adjoins the Unit-I vegetable market and hundreds of vehicles are parked along the road. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been trying hard to remove encroachments from the roadside.
“We have started an awareness campaign from Tuesday asking the vendors to move away on their own. After our announcements, if vendors are seen encroaching upon the road, we will carry out an eviction drive without further notice and at any time,” said BMC additional commissioner Abanikanta Patnaik.
Earlier, the civic body has removed the the encroachments but after some days, the vendors were again back to business. This time, the BMC has decided not only to be stricter but also plans to provide an alternate space to them.
The BMC is yet to take a call on whether to carry out eviction on the right side of the road from Rajmahal Square to AG Square. This stretch witnesses less congestion as the cloth and flower vendors haven’t occupied the road.
The BMC is also using four vehicles to create awareness among vendors to keep two dustbins in front of their shops to ensure cleanliness. The vehicles have posters pasted on them that mention the dos and don’ts. “If a particular vendor is repeatedly not following the guidelines, his trade licence will be cancelled and the shop will be sealed. The vendors will have to ensure that waste is properly dumped inside the bins,” a BMC officer said.