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| The Garga river bed has become home to illegal constructions. (Pankaj Singh) |
Bokaro, Aug. 1: More than 103 illegal constructions have been detected on the Garga river bed, prompting Bokaro deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal to order their demolition within a week.
The Garga river, which originates from Kasmar, meanders for about 35 km before reaching Bokaro and bifurcating the steel city with Chas township on the other side. According to Chas SDO Sudhir Ranjan, he has found more than 103 illegal constructions on the river basin.
But there are more, especially on the 10 km long stretch of the river between Telidih and Chas-Siyanjoria. Ranjan believes that once this area is surveyed more illegal constructions, possibly in hundreds, will come to light at Bharra, Chira Chas, Gujarat Colony and Kuer Singh Colony.
“We will start anti-encroachment drives from this week to clear all illegal constructions on the river basin. Thereafter, another survey will be conducted to see how many more illegal structures have come up on the river bed as well as other water bodies. These will also be removed,” Ranjan promised.
Bokaro DC Kaushal said he would not allow anyone to capture water basins or water bodies, whoever he/she may be. “Anti-encroachment drives to remove all illegal structures constructed on the river basin will start soon as complaints have come to my office about more encroachments of water bodies,” he said.
In his report, the Chas SDO has alleged that several plots sold by one Bari Cooperative Society to unsuspecting buyers, some of whom were IAS officers and Bokaro steel employees, were actually on encroached land on the river bed.
Secretary of the society Jagdish Prasad claimed that except for a few, all plots allotted were genuine. “I have presented all relevant papers to the deputy commissioner for consideration,” he said.
Ranjan said the anti-encroachment drive to clear the river basin was initially delayed as Chas circle officer Nirmal Toppo got transferred. But now that Sadat Anwar has joined in his place, the demolition drive will start soon.
