Civic workers demolish a roadside kiosk at Delta Square in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 4: City police today started a drive to evict encroachment on city footpaths.

The police today raised more than 30 illegal shops operating on footpaths between Gopabandhu Square and Delta Square. The police also penalised more than 40 vendors under the Odisha Urban Police Act for encroaching upon public place.

A senior police official said that the aim of the drive was to make the pavements free from any kind of obstruction and ensure that vehicular congestion did not take place on the roads because of illegal shops.

“We have also intensified the drive against illegal parking on major roads and triple riding on motorcycles,” said assistant commissioner of police (traffic), Binod Das.

The Odisha Urban Police Act, 2003, empowers the police to collect penalty from traffic violators. The police can collect penalty of maximum up to Rs 500.

The drive was a part of the precautionary measures initiated by the city police on the aftermath of the Khandagiri incident, which claimed three lives, besides injuring more than a dozen commuters.

However, city residents felt that the police must ensure that the vendors must not return to do their business on the footpaths after a few weeks of the eviction drives.

“Most of the time, the vendors reoccupy the pavements creating traffic problem,” said Sourav Puhan, a city resident.

Illegal parking on the both sides of the road connecting between Vani Vihar Square and Rajmahal Square have become a major concern for the commuters. Besides, a large number of illegal shops on footpaths on this stretch have also been causing traffic congestions.

Though the civic body had proposed to set up two multi-level car parking lots on the stretch to ease the traffic congestion, the proposal is yet to materialise.