Balasore, April 10: A group of street vendors here has lodged a police complaint against two state government officers, who had been engaged in removing encroachments from the Zilla School Road.

The complaint was lodged against executive officer of the Balasore Municipality Subhas Jena and Remuna tehsildar Binay Mohanty. Jena was in charge of the eviction drive while Mohanty was deployed as a magistrate on duty.

Street vendor Chittaranjan Sahu and 30 other vendors alleged that the officers had illegally demolished their roadside establishments without any warnings and abused them in the filthiest language.

Sahadevkhunta police registered a case under sections 294 (obscene acts), 427 (committing mischief and thereby causes loss or damage to the amount of Rs 50 or upwards) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Inspector in charge of Sahadevkhunta police station Paresh Rout said: "A case has been registered against the officers. We have acted on the complaints."

Yesterday, the municipality carried out the eviction drive on the ever-busy road that connects ADM Square with Pani Tanki.

Mohanty said: "I was deployed as a magistrate by the order of the collector to maintain law and order during the eviction. I have done my duty."

"I have carried out the high court order to clear encroachments before rains. Around 52 illegal roadside establishments were removed. If my action was illegal, the vendors could move the high court," Jena said.

Hawkers' federation leader Jayant Das said: "The Supreme Court had ordered that a town vending committee should be formed taking 40 per cent members from the vendors' community. The vendors should be identified, registered just like the vending zones before removing them from roads."

"Neither any committee is being formed, nor has the identification of vendors or vending zones been carried out. Besides, no rehabilitation steps have been taken by the administration. The authorities have arbitrarily thrown out the vendors," Das said.

Collector Sanatan Mallick said: "We have carried out the high court order in letter and spirit. The condition of the roads are pitiable due to encroachments."

Today, around 500 vendors under the Odisha Street Vendors' Association, led by Das, submitted a memorandum to the collector urging him to stall the drive till the identification of street vendors through a committee is made and their livelihood restored.