File picture of local residents protesting against eviction drive at Niladri Vihar in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 19: Lack of proper co-ordination between the city administration and police has derailed a demolition drive aimed to free a 20-acre prime government land at Chandrasekharpur from encroachment.

A collaborated eviction drive, taken up by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and the general administration department near Kanyashram within the Chandrasekharpur police limits was stalled today for the sixth time since February.

On February 21 and 25, May 20, June 5 and July 3 the drive could not be undertaken, as police cover was not available. Today, too, it did not take place, as the required force could not be arranged. The price of the encroached land that the drive was supposed to free is estimated to be around Rs 60 crore.

A local resident said land mafia in that area was actually selling away the encroached land. Over the years, a slum has come up on this land at Chandrasekharpur with around 300 shanties.

On February 25, around 1,000 irate residents of the area confronted enforcement officer of the development authority Debprasad Dash, when he went there to study the situation. He had gone there with a 10-member Odisha State Striking Force of the authority that carries out eviction drives.

Later on June 6, following a meeting under the chairmanship of the then development commissioner, Injeti Srinivas, the state government decided that one city enforcement monitoring committee would be formed — which will have three platoons of police, including women constables, exclusively for the eviction drives. The authority was chosen as the nodal body to manage the panel.

“After the deployment of the mandatory police platoons, as decided by the state government, we have carried out several eviction drives in the city. But, for this particular site near Kanyashram, we had sought 12 platoons which we did not get,” said Dash.

On August 12, the authority placed the requisition for the force.

“We were ready with our employees but could not progress due to the absence of the adequate police force,” said assistant commissioner (enforcement) of the civic body Sumita Behera.

Much before the first eviction drive on February 21 was planned, several members of the corporation’s enforcement squad had gone to the area for a survey, but local residents resisted them. A police control room van that was passing by supported the residents instead of coming to the team’s rescue.

Assistant commissioner of police Fagua Singh said: “It is not that we are not serious about eviction drives, but on many occasions, availability of the force becomes an issue. The civic and development authorities should discuss such issues with us in advance. Just sending a requisition letter is not enough.”

Singh said: “Under normal circumstances, we provide complete back-up to the teams engaged in eviction drives as we did on August 7 at Saheed Nagar to clear obstacles to the expansion of the NH-5. The eviction dates and timings should be mutually agreed upon,” he said.