The district administration is set to resume a 10-day encroachment drive in Patna to smooth flow of traffic. It will be suspended on October 2 for Gandhi Jayanti.

The first phase was carried out for 26 days during which 2,000 temporary and permanent structures were razed to the ground.

The 10-day encroachment drive will start from Monday on the orders of district magistrate Kumar Ravi. Earlier, it was carried out from August 26 to September 10.

According to the density of the traffic, the district administration has identified eight such high-priority zones, where it would be conducted extensively. The eight stretches include Boring Canal Road (Rajapur Pul to Hartali Mor), Boring Road (Boring Road roundabout to Patliputra roundabout), Bailey Road (Hartali Mor to Jagdeo Path), Station Road (CDA building to GPO roundabout), Ashok Rajpath Road (BN College to Science College), Kadamkuan, Kan-

karbagh and Patna Bypass.

“During the drive, it would be the duty of the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner to ensure that identifying the vending zone and no-vending zones apart from issuing identity cards to valid vendors. There should be regular announcements over the public address system to remove encroachments or else, those would be demolished by the administration apart from seizure of their belongings and lodging of an FIR against such squatters,” Ravi said.

After the first phase of drive, the city was really looking clean. Moreover, narrow roads have turned wide apart from traffic flow becoming smooth. However, after the drive stopped, many squatters have returned to their places in several areas of Patna, including Station Road and Boring Canal Road.

Ravi has also asked PMC to take stern action against private building owners if their construction material is found lying on the roads. The Patna DM has even asked PMC to cancel the map of such buildings.

For the special drive, the Patna DM has formed six teams comprising magistrates, police, traffic police, PMC and transport department officials. During the drive, 300 home guards will be deployed.

“It will be the duty of the traffic superintendent of police to monitor the drive and coordinate with every team with cranes and JCB machines. Placing no-entry boards, cordoning off areas and implementing one-way traffic are the duties of the traffic police. Those who park vehicles in no-parking zones must be penalised. Autos much ply in a single lane on roads,” Ravi said.

The encroachment drive has taken a political turn with former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular (HAMS) announcing the launch of Raj Bhavan March on Sunday to protest against the drive alleging that only the houses of poor people are targeted and illegal structures of influential people not even touched.

The march will kick off from Kargil Chowk at 11am in which several HAMS leaders will be present apart from people affected by the drive.