Bhubaneswar, Jan. 5: The development authority, in association with the municipal corporation and police, has formed a special joint squad to remove squatters from pavements and cycle tracks from the busy airport-Nandankanan road.

Starting today, the squad removed 80 units of small shops, vendors and squatters along the road from Unit-IV and 120 Battalion. The move is aimed to streamline non-motorised transport and give free access to such people in the city.

Bhubaneswar Development Authority vice-chairman Krishan Kumar said the special squad would work regularly and make sure that the people using bicycles as a means of transport and pedestrians using footpaths in the city had no problems while using these tracks.

"We are dedicated to make the city streets pedestrian and cyclist-friendly," said Kumar.

He said they had initiated the complete street programme, under which road safety element would be taken up on priority basis on major stretches.

"There will be dedicated cycle tracks and pedestrian ways on all major stretches of the city under the this programme. Today's drive was an add-on to it," said Kumar.

The special joint squad with 10 members will be led by a squad leader of the rank of an enforcement inspector in the development authority. "The special squad will exclusively look after the enforcement work in facilitating smooth flow of traffic on the busy roads of Bhubaneswar and would not be engaged for any other work," said enforcement member Bhabani Shankar Chayani.

On November 26 last year, the state government passed a resolution to form an exclusive squad to carry out such eviction drives.

"It is a good move of the authorities to evict squatters from pavements and cycle tracks. It often gets difficult for us to use these facilities because of them. But if the authorities are evicting them, they should ensure their rehabilitation too. They are here to earn some money, and it is an injustice to deprive someone of their livelihood," said social worker Gyanendra Tripathy.

During the first meeting of the traffic management committee of the city held yesterday, it was decided that strict enforcement measures needed to be initiated for removal of encroachments from footpaths and cycle paths to promote use of such these facilities to boost the use of non-motorised transport.