The entrance to Tatanagar station looked neat and clean on Tuesday afternoon after RPF personnel carried out a massive anti-encroachment drive for over two hours, dismantling shops and kiosks that lined a 200-meter road stretch in front.
Jugsalai police and Jugsalai Municipality extended support to the RPF which started the drive at 11am. This time, the authorities confiscated the makeshift structures which would make it difficult for the encroachers to return, something they usually do within days.
Railway police had carried out an anti-encroachment drive a fortnight ago, removing about 150 shops from the exit area of the station up to Sankata Singh Petrol Pump on Station Road.
But most of the shop-keepers, selling everything from clothes to furniture, returned to their old spots which prompted the RPF leadership to meet officers of the police and Jugsalai Municipality and agree on conducting an eviction drive on Tuesday.
“Before starting the anti-encroachment drive a fortnight ago, we had gone through the history of encroachments near the railway station. We, therefore, decided to keep a watch and see if the encroachers were coming back. Since some of them started doing business again, we opted for a fresh drive,” RPF inspector M.K Sahoo told The Telegraph.
On Tuesday, Jugsalai Municipality provided excavators which were used to dismantle cabins and shanties that were then taken away in a truck to be dumped elsewhere. The drive went on till the 200 metre-stretch, starting from the exit point of the railway station to the petrol pump, was totally cleared.
RPF inspector Sahoo said they were aware that those who were evicted were poor people trying to make a living. But, he said, the RPF had to ensure that the road in front of the railway station was clear of encroachments.
“The road near the railway station has to be clear. Not only does a clean road give the station a cleaner look, it also helps commuters enter and exit the station smoothly,” Sahoo said.