In a rare show of alacrity, Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Friday cracked down on three popular commercial addresses and identified 14 other offenders in the capital, a day after Jharkhand High Court directed the civic authorities to clear encroachment and free up space for parking.

Municipal commissioner Prashant Kumar said an RMC enforcement team flattened paved platforms on "gifted land" outside Louis Philippe and Planet Fashion showrooms at Vidyapati Chowk on Main Road, and razed a wall outside a mall housing shops and restaurants in Siromtoli to ensure better traffic management.

In addition, the civic team identified 14 commercial complexes across the city that have either extended business on "gifted land" or have rented out basements instead of making space for parking, in violation of their building plans.

To elucidate the concept of "gifted land", town planner Uday Sahay said the 2037 Ranchi Master Plan came into effect from November 2015 while buildings constructed before that followed a 1983 master plan.

"Now, both these master plans underscore that a commercial developer will ensure a setback (the distance a building/structure is set back from a road) as per terms and transfer the area to the civic body as gifted land for future purposes of road widening, parking, sewerage and drainage or any other work of public utility," Sahay explained.

"But, most developers encroach upon gifted land. They either landscape the area or use it for personal parking in gross violation of approved building plans," he pointed out.

Hearing a PIL initiated suo motu against traffic snarls, a division bench of Chief Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty and Justice Ananda Sen had on Thursday directed the RMC to raze illegal constructions on gifted land in front of shopping complexes on Main Road, primarily Big Bazaar, Louis Philippe and Planet Fashion.

Municipal commissioner Kumar said action against Big Bazaar was December 2015. "The retail giant wasn't using its basement for parking. Also, the space in front of the complex was being used by hawkers. It was fined Rs 95 lakh. A case is pending in the RRDA tribunal. Rospa Tower, a marketing complex, was cleared of encroachment last year," he said.

Speaking further on Friday's crackdown, Kumar said the RMC enforcement team targeted the business complex owned by Amrit Prasad in Siromtoli in the morning.

"The complex had been occupying around 30ft of gifted land for a wall, which was dismantled. In the afternoon, showrooms of Louis Philippe and Planet Fashion faced the music for using gifted land as a paid parking lot exclusively for customers," the civic official added.

Amrit Prasad called the action arbitrary. "Our building plan was passed by Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA) and, according to terms and conditions, we kept a setback of 120ft. If the crackdown is for infrastructure development, we welcome it. But, the same rule should apply to all. Even Yogoda Satsanga (on Station Road) has raised a wall on gifted land," he argued.