The Hazaribagh bus stand may soon lose its tag of a popular eating spot.

The 23 shops located on the premises of the government bus stand on Ranchi-Patna highway, which sell everything from beverages to litti chokha besides housing telephone booths, betel shops and canteens, have been asked to vacate by Monday for not paying rent since 2007.

Bus depot superintendent Tapeshwar Prasad Singh confirmed that they had served notices to the shop owners, who had been doing brisk business for the past four decades. “Of the 33 shops, 10 moved court on January 22 and obtained a stay order for two weeks. The others will have to vacate the area by Monday. The eviction drive will start from Tuesday,” he said.

However, most shop owners insisted that they had been paying rent.

At present, the depot, spread over 11 acres, lies unused with just three buses plying to Gaya everyday. Sources said the authorities now want to construct permanent shops at the stand and sell them at high prices. But Singh denied this, saying they received funds to the tune of Rs 16 lakh to construct a boundary wall around the depot and two entrance gates. “The funds will also be used to renovate the administrative building,” he said.

Sanjay Gupta, who runs a betel shop at the stand, said: “Around 200 people will starve if we are evicted.”