An encroached wall blocks construction work on Ananta Vihar road in Bhubaneswar.Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, May 29: A blatant encroachment on a major road in Pokhariput (Ananta Vihar Phase III) since November 2001 is yet to be removed by the civic authorities.

Acting on the complaints of local residents, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) had issued a demolition notice in 2003, but nothing has been done in this regard, say the residents.

The encroachment is affecting the construction of a drain and road-laying work in the locality.

“The encroacher is occupying a 10-feet space from the boundary of his plot, but the authorities have remained silent over the issue for years. Heavy vehicles coming from the corner of the road are also experiencing trouble while manoeuvring at the turn,’’ said D.P. Das, a neighbour of the encroacher. Das is a retired government doctor who practices medicine at a local clinic.

“I am the only person affected. The entire colony suffers from this. But, as a senior citizen, I am surprised to see how the authorities are functioning in the city,” said Das.

He had filed a complaint with Airfield police on November 10, 2001, when the encroacher started constructing a huge wall on the road. “But even in the presence of the police, construction was carried out as the encroacher was a senior engineer with the BDA. Subsequently, he was transferred from the BDA, but the demolition order which was issued by the BDA, was never executed,” he said.

“I had informed the BMC authorities regarding the encroachment in the past, but it was never looked into. Construction of a wall on the road also hampers development work, but the authorities have remained silent over the issue. The former BDA engineer has even constructed the structure covering some portion of the boundary wall of his two neighbours,’’ local councillor Hruday Balaba Samantaray said.

“Pokhariput is now seen as a major housing settlement. But with rising land cost, encroachment has become a major civic problem here. It needs strict execution of the Orissa Municipal Corporation Act, 2003, and the Orissa Development Authority Act, 1982, to demolish the illegal structures,” the councillor said, adding that the Orissa Municipal Corporation Act, 2003, empowers the municipal commissioner to demolish any structure that obstructs a road.

An official of the enforcement section of the BDA admitted that a demolition order was issued in 2003 for the Ananta Vihar case. “The BDA has a pile of demolition orders which were never executed in the past due to the lack of a proper enforcement squad. This is an old case and we will check the entire matter and try to take action,” the official said.

Municipal commissioner Vishal Dev assured that the BMC would look into the issue and take action after verifying the details about the encroachment.