File picture of mayor Ananta Narayan Jena (circled in red) unveiling the plaque near the vending zone and (below) the demolition drive in progress at the Lakshminarayan vending zone at Unit-IV in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18: Vendors cried foul as a demolition squad today razed down a vending zone, which mayor Ananta Narayan Jena inaugurated last year, on grounds of illegality and encroachment.

Enforcement officials termed the shopping complex housing 67 shops at Unit-IV as “illegal”, as the vendors could not produce papers to support their claims. Besides, the vending zone had come up by encroaching on two roadside drains.

To a question on how he himself inaugurated a vending zone, which was constructed on a drain and both sides of a colony road, Jena remained silent. “We have assured them to consider their case,” he repeated it again and again.

Again questioned about the fate of the vendors, an embarrassed Jena said: “We will consider their case.”

Each of the vendors had paid between Rs 25,000 and Rs 27,000 for the shops, which were allotted to them in last September on the assurance that everything about the shopping zone was legal.

In a joint demolition drive, officials of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Bhubaneswar Development Authority and the general administration department razed down the shopping complex today morning. The vendors, however, alleged that they had become victims of wheeling dealing politicians and officials.

After the demolition drive, the vendors staged a demonstration at the corporation office and later ransacked the premises and smashed furniture near the enforcement wing’s office. Soon a scuffle between the agitators and the corporation employees broke out following which police were called. The police arrested two vendors.

The vendors claimed that money was collected from them between August and September last year for allotment of the shops and they were told that the civic body had authorised the vending zone. They were also issued trade licences. But later, they realised that the licences were not meant for plying business in a vending zone.

An enforcement official said that since encroachment of roads, drains and government land was a serious offence, the vending zone was demolished. “The vendors were issued timely notice. Besides, last year during the construction, they were warned not to go ahead with it,” said a corporation official.

Samir Kumar Mallick, 25, who was running a photo framing shop in the complex, said: “Yesterday, the corporation people came and made an announcement about demolition. Without giving us time to remove our goods, they razed down the structure this morning.”

Sahadeb Sasani, 42, a betel shop owner, said: “For us, arranging the money and pay for the construction of the vending zone were quite difficult. Many of us had even taken loans and paid the dues and after spending Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 to renovate the shops. But by razing it down, the authorities have destroyed our livelihood support.”

Jena inaugurated the vending zone on October 10 last year. “If the vending zone was illegal, how the mayor became the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony and how the former councillor had collected money for its construction?” asked a member of the vendors’ association.

Former councillor Sashmita Nanda, whom the vendors alleged to have given the money for construction of the complex, said: “I have collected the money and given it to a person in the corporation office for the construction of the vending zone. I have also given them receipts. The civic officials had told me that the vending zone was legal.”

Jena said: “In many localities, vending zones are being constructed overnight. If someone is saying that he or she had collected money and given it to a person in the corporation office, we cannot be held responsible. Moreover, when our officials advised the vendors to go back as we will reconsider their case, why did they become violent?”

President of the Mahalakshmi Vending Zone Traders’ Association Hrushikesh Sahu said: “The civic authorities have assured us to accommodate all the 67 vendors in the 250 shops to be created within six months in various localities across the city.”

In the demolition drive today, the small-time traders lost around Rs 16 lakh only on construction of the cabins and Rs 14 lakh more on making them habitable as small shops. “Of 67 shops, only 10 had become fully operational as the power and water connections were no given in time. While the officials and politicians played their game, we suffered the most,” said a vendor, requesting anonymity.

A present, there are 47 legal vending zones across the city. Three were demolished recently to widen the roads.

“In case of legal vending zones, we think about their relocation first. But the one at Unit-IV was illegal and despite our advice last year they went ahead. There are nearly 15 illegal vending zones, and we are going to demolish them gradually. Some, however, have taken the legal recourse to delay the eviction process,” said a corporation official.