Bhubaneswar, Jan. 14: After conducting a massive eviction drive along Raj Bhavan and Patia Square, a special joint squad of the civic administration has now shifted focus to Janpath.

The special six-member enforcement squad consisting of officials of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhub-aneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and police have now joined hands with Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) for the job, which they plan to begin on Monday.

The plan is to clear encroachment from the footpath along the Janpath, a five-kilometre stretch from Sishu Bhavan to Vanivihar Square. The stretch falls in the Bhubaneswar Town Centre District of the Smart City Project. There are also plans to convert the stretch into "Smart Janpath".

"The squad will free the footpath along the Janpath of encroachment as it will be a part of the Smart Janpath Project under the Bhubaneswar Town Centre District. The special squad will start work on the stretch on Monday," said a BSCL official.

Dedicated cycle tracks and pedestrian paths are part of the Smart Janpath Project. There are also plans to introduce smart traffic light system at eight junctions along this stretch. Motorists will be urged to practise lane driving.

The special squad will not only focus on removing encroachment along Janpath, but will also enforce better cleanliness. The officials will ensure that shop owners have individual waste bins near their shops or vending places to stop littering.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said promotion of non-motorised transport was one of the important agendas of the smart city proposal. "We are already conducting events such as Patha Utsav to promote walking and cycling. It is our job to provide the pedestrians and cyclists their space in the city. We aim to have a pollution free Bhubaneswar," said Jena.

The special squad constituted to remove encroachment in the city began their work on January 5 and cleared pedestrian and cycling paths along Raj Bhavan and Patia Square. "We have got a free hand now to clear the footpaths and cycle tracks. We will do our job," said BDA liaison officer Subhransu Mohanty.

City residents welcomed the step, but also wanted the administration to ensure that the squatters did not come back to the same place within a few months of the raze drive. "It is common to find such special squads doing their job periodically, but their efforts come to nought as the encroachers reappear after the officials have left. The officials should ensure this doesn't happen," said Saheed Nagar resident Karan Agrawal.

Besides the squad, the state government has also formed a seven-member Central Enforcement Monitoring Committee consisting of senior officials of the BDA, BM, general administration department, and the cops to monitor and regulate the eviction drive.