Kamrup district authorities carry out eviction drive at Chandmari market on Wednesday. Picture by Biju Boro

June 9: The district administration today demolished Chandmari market saying that it was located on government land.

Kamrup (metropolitan) deputy commissioner A.K. Absar Hazarika said the demolition was part of a drive by the district administration to evict markets that have come up illegally over the years on government land. “The Chandmari market was located on government land without any authorisation.”

Hitesh Dev Sharma, an extra assistant commissioner, said the administration had served notice on the vendors in the market some days ago to vacate the market and shift to another site under the Chandmari flyover. “But they did not pay heed and we had to act today.”

Hazarika also informed that the Guwahati Municipal Corporation mayor and the district administration officials had visited the site and collected the list of shopkeepers doing business in the market.

In the last meeting of the GMC and the district administration it was proposed to set up a permanent market complex for the 70 shopkeepers.

The roadside market at Bhangagarh is next on list of targets of the district administration’s bulldozers, the deputy commissioner said.

Hazarika said the administration proposes to build a parking lot and pathway at the Chandmari site to reduce the traffic congestion on the GNB Road.

There is also a proposal to construct a bus bay after closing down the small children’s park opposite the market.

The eviction drive, which began from 10 in the morning, demolished the entire marketplace. The administration took the support of the police during the drive. The police had to resort to a mild lathicharge to disperse protesting vendors.

Officer-in-charge of the Chandmari police station, Ataur Rahman, who was present at the eviction, said the drive to clear the site of all the unauthorised shops located there continued throughout the day.

“The market was located on the footpath along the busy GNB Road. This created a chaotic situation which greatly inconvenienced the commuters ”, he said.

The market was first set up temporarily to sell fish and vegetables. With time it transformed into a permanent site and the GMC even collected regular toll. At present there is a permanent GMC market on the other side of the road, below the overbridge.