Ranchi: Ranchi Municipal Corporation on Saturday held an anti-encroachment drive at Naga Baba Khatal ground here to make way for a vegetable market.

In the five-hour drive which began at 10am, the municipality pressed two bulldozers into service and razed around 25 make-shift structures, mainly cowsheds, and 15 to 20 hutments that had cropped up on the over four-acre government plot amid protests by encroachers who over the years made the place their home.

Officials turned a deaf ear to people's pleas and cleared the area in the presence of security forces. Sources said that over 200 people, mainly milkmen and vegetable vendors, were affected because of the drive.

An official of Ranchi Municipal Corporation said they had issued a 24-hour eviction order and a public notice in all the dailies on Friday requesting the encroachers to remove their belongings on their own or face forceful eviction.

"Some had left on their own on Friday but many chose to ignore our warning. Therefore, we had no other option but to evict them," he added, but couldn't say where they would be rehabilitated.

Deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvergiya said there is a high court order which bars any sort of encroachment on this land. "In 2010, the Naga Baba Khatal land was cleared following a high court order. However, over the years, encroachers returned as the land was left unutilised for years. There is a plan to set up a vegetable market here," he said.

Another official said the proposed vegetable mart would help Ratu Road Chowk freedom from daily jams to a large extent. "To improve traffic in the city, we are trying out all options available with us. This is in that direction," he said.

What steps can the RMC take to prevent encroachers from returning after eviction?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com