A special nine-day anti-encroachment drive kicked off in different parts of the city on Monday and over Rs 90,000 had been collected as fine from offenders till afternoon.

On Sunday, Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishore had directed Patna police, Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) and other bodies concerned to start the same and ensure that squatters do not reclaim areas from where they are evicted.

"Instructions had been given to take strict legal action against those returning to the cleared-up areas. Station house officers (SHO's) of all police stations have been asked to take special care of the same. Altogether, four teams have been formed for each circle - namely new capital, Bankipore, Kankerbagh and Patna City - and each team would consist of PMC officials and a magistrate. The aim is to remove encroachments and ensure snarl-free traffic," Anand said.

The team assigned the new capital circle evicted squatters from Boring Road and Boring Canal Road today. "Until 4pm, we had succeeded in collecting a fine of Rs 18,000. Most of these fines were collected from shopkeepers who tend to encroach upon pavements. We have been conducting such drives earlier, too, and makeshift stalls have already been removed. The drive will continue tomorrow (Tuesday) and we will concentrate on the same spots. Fine for encroachment ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. The fines can sometimes be less on humanitarian grounds and we have considered that too. Fines apart, many items were seized from shopkeepers who had encroached on the pavements and they had to pay extra to get these released," said Vishal Anand, executive officer of the new Patna circle.

The operation was not as smooth in Kankerbagh circle where the anti-encroachment team faced a violent crowd. "Though squatters have been removed from near Colony Mor area and around Rs 45,000 was collected as fine till afternoon, a crowd attacked the PMC office in Kankerbagh. The police force assigned to us was not at all effective and angry men pelted stones at the PMC office, forcing officials to flee from work. We had to postpone the drive after that and have written to the commissioner, requesting for an effective and strong police force. In the absence of the same, it will be difficult to carry on the drive," executive officer Mohammed Irfan Alam said.

But Patna divisional commissioner Anand said the protests would not impact the drive. "All four circles are included, so there will, expectedly, be some resistance. But this will not be a deterrent," the senior official said.

Under Bankipore circle, many big shops in Kadamkuan area, including Gyan Ganga bookstore, Appu Ghar toy store and Dauji Sweet Shop, saw fines being slapped.

"The drive was carried out from Pirmuhani to Durga Mandir Round in Kadamkuan. We have fined 20 shops for illegal encroachments. The total revenue collected toady is Rs 20,000 and we have warned shop-owners against illegal encroachment. If they are found encroaching on the roads, they will be fined again. We will keep on increasing the fine amount on habitual offenders," circle executive officer Shailesh Kumar said.

Sources in the commissioner's office said the focus was on removal as well as levy of fines. "There are many who don't care and take such drives very lightly. Most of the drives have become unsuccessful and encroachments have become the order of the day. There is a set of rules one needs to follow but people have forgotten the same. We do hope that heavy fines would act as a major deterrent," an official said.

Raju Manjhi, who runs a makeshift fast food stall in Boring Road, was disappointed. "If they are removing us, they should ensure that we get a place too. No one is concerned about that. The state government should ensure we get a permanent place in the heart of town so that our business is not affected. Just throwing us out of our business is not a solution, as we have to take care of our families too," Manjhi said.

When contacted, PMC Commissioner Jai Singh said though the drive will continue, the teams needed proper police assistance.

"There is a need for an effective police force and a request has been sent to the commissioner's office. Adequate force has been provided but then the problem lies on the effectiveness of the available force. Soon, we will be moving to Raja Bazaar area, which is heavily encroached upon and proper police help is very essential or the team can be at risk," the official said.

Additional reporting by Shambhavi Singh