Bhubaneswar, June 6: Jeweller Sanjay Hans, also the owner of the posh New Marrion Hotel in the heart of Bhubaneswar, was in for a rude shock this morning.

Hans woke up to an unpleasant Sunday morning when officials of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the General Administration (GA) department landed up with earthmovers and excavators to remove the unauthorised construction that used up a large portion of the road.

The government officials, now on a demolition spree to remove encroachments clogging the busy Janpath thoroughfare, ploughed through the well-manicured lawns that housed teenagers crowding the coffee-shop of the hotel. As armed policemen kept an eye on the demolition, the earthmovers and excavators pushed and shoved the concrete facade built by the owners of the hotel.

Late on Saturday night, chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who was also in charge of the GA department, had reportedly okayed the demolition of the unauthorised construction outside the hotel. Today, the excavators turned the unauthorised construction into a massive heap of rubble in a space of five hours.

However, Hans could not be seen anywhere in the vicinity of the hotel. As bystanders and commuters witnessed the proceedings with surprise, there seemed to be muted admiration for the demolition drive.

“It’s good that they have managed to strike against the higher-ups. But I hope they can continue with this,” said Gopalkrushna Rath, a retired government officer. The giant excavators hadn’t cleared the rubble even by the evening. A BMC official said the demolition at New Marrion Hotel might continue till Tuesday. The joint eviction drive launched by the BMC, the BDA and the GA was aimed at clearing over 40,000 unauthorised structures on the city roads.

While big fish like the authorities of the New Marrion Hotel had taken advantage of the labyrinthine law to set up unauthorised but permanent structures and eateries on the drains, smaller entities have put up Omfed milk-vending booths, which were a permanent eyesore.

The drive was kick-started shortly after the Naveen Patnaik government returned to power. Armed with the high court’s orders, urban development minister, K.V. Singhdeo had okayed the drive last week.

“Our first aim is to clear the drains that get clogged during the rains. The demolition drive will not stop,” Singhdeo said, adding that he will focus on the slums after the current demolition drive. There are 110 authorised slums in the city, which enjoy regular power and water supply.

But BJP minister and Bhubaneswar legislator Biswabhusan Harichandan is not pleased with the proposed slum drive.

Harichandan, who banks on his votes of the slum dwellers, is up in arms against Singhdeo. But, with the high court and Naveen backing Singhdeo, Harichandan can do little to stop the drive.