Cuttack, Aug. 5: Police razed down around 20 illegal kiosks in front of the Barabati Stadium at Cantonment road here on Wednesday.
The enforcement drive assumes significance for the district administration as well as for the Odisha Cricket Association ahead of the scheduled T20 match between India and South Africa at the stadium in October.
The joint eviction squad, consisting of officials of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation, Cuttack Development Authority and other government departments, today launched the drive against encroachments. An official said a fine of Rs 15,000 had been collected from various persons for encroachments and parking on the stretch.
Official sources said bulk of the space along the main road in front of the stadium had been under illegal occupation by the roadside vendors since long.
Though the corporation had identified a stretch for parking opposite the stadium, local people, who had set up the temporary kiosks and other fastfood joints, encroached upon bulk of the areas.
"There are over 25 shops within the Barabati complex and the civic body had earmarked vacant plot opposite of the stadium as a parking lot. But, due to encroachments, people were forced to park their vehicles on road," said local resident Srikant Sahu.
Sahu said that earlier the cops had cleared encroachments in front of old secretariat and rehabilitated the vendors at one portion of Kila Padia at Cantonment road. At that time, the shifting from the stretch connecting Barabati Stadium and Buxi Bazaar had resulted in the free flow of vehicular traffic.
"We had launched a major eviction drive from Cantonment road up to Satichoura via Chandi Mandir Chhak to Shelter Chhak. We have penalised over 10 persons for parking their vehicles in the no parking zones," said assistant commissioner of police (traffic) P.K. Dalai.
Dalai said around five persons had been warned for dumping chips, sand and other construction materials on the road, causing problems for the commuters near Kanika Chhak.
An official said the police were contemplating to declare major junctions as no vending and parking zones to streamline vehicular congestion.
Another major eviction drive is likely to be taken up on the stretch from Sati Choura up to the high court shortly.
