Demolition drive carried out at Niladri Vihar in Bhubaneswar on Friday. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: A joint eviction drive was conducted at Niladri Vihar today to free government land encroached by residents and traders obstructing road expansion and affecting flow of rainwater into drains.

The stretch that connects the Jayadev Vihar-Nandankanan main road to the posh Niladri Vihar area is home to a large number of residents.

Besides, the multi-crore Buddha Jayanti park and many corporate offices functions from here and the road is a major link to these establishments.

However, the narrow road had been creating problem for free movement of vehicles, mostly four-wheelers. For smooth flow of traffic, the authorities decided to expand the road. But, encroachment on both sides of the road was posing problems for vehicle movement and expansion.

“We demolished portions of houses that had encroached upon the road by 15 to 20 feet, and most of these houses were allotted by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority and belonged to government officials. Besides, over 50 small shops and other establishments were also demolished,” said enforcement officer of the development authority Deba Prasad Dash.

This was the second such drive in the area in the past one-and-a-half months with the first one being conducted on June 24 when several such structures, including religious ones, had been razed down. The officials had to demolish some makeshift shops that had been destroyed in the previous drive, but came up again.

The authorities said the road had been proposed to be 80-feet wide, but at present, it was a bit more than 50 feet. The public works department that owns the road would expand it after the land is freed.

Officials of the development authority, works department, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and the general administration department took part in the eviction drive.

Three platoons of police, including one comprising women personnel, were deployed during the drive.

An official said they would shortly conduct another survey on the road connecting Niladri Vihar mandap and DAV School Square at Chandrasekharpur. The stretch has also been narrowed down by encroachment on both sides.

“After the survey is over, another eviction drive will be conducted on this road. It will make Niladri Vihar easily approachable from various sides,” said the officer.