Traders given more days to remove encroachments
Traders in Baddi town have resented the move of the municipal council (MC) to remove the alleged illegal structures put up by them.
A delegation of the traders met the SDM and requested him not to order the sheds and structures, raised outside their shops, to be removed.
SDM Baddi Vivek Mahajan had initiated a campaign last week to remove encroachments from the Sai road as traders had set up permanent structures on the road outside their shops, besides displaying their wares by occupying a sizable portion of the road. This was obstructing the smooth inflow of traffic on this busy road of this industrial cluster.
Since this road leads to several industries, it sees a movement of multi-axle trucks, pick-ups, tractor-trailers as well as two-wheelers throughout the day.
This includes removing encroachments on the Baddi-Sai road which is the town’’s commercial hub. A sizable portion of the road has been encroached upon, leading to the obstruction of traffic.
Even walking on the road is fraught with problems, as structures raised on the road by traders to display their wares create obstructions.
The Baddi civic body had served 72 notices to the traders last week and directed them to remove the encroachments within two days or these would be removed by using machines.
Traders opined that the illegal kiosks, which were operating there, were causing obstruction and 4 to 5 feet area should be left outside the shops to ensure the smooth movement of the pedestrians. They also stated that traders had raised structures over their land and these should not be removed.
Taking a lenient view, the SDM acceded to their demand and allowed them some more days to remove encroachments and leave adequate space for the pedestrians to walk along the Sai road on both sides. He, however, made it clear that the kiosks operating on the road outside the shops would not be permitted to operate any longer as these occupy a sizable space on the road.
“Two teams, comprising a civic body SDO and another having traders’’ representative, executive officer of the Baddi civic body and Tehsildar, will examine the Sai road and rid it of encroachments, and in case some traders have their own land over which they have raised structures, they should give information about this in writing,” said the SDM.
“Encroachments are being continuously removed till the Sair road, which is the lifeline of Baddi, to make it a better and convenient place to commute for pedestrians and commuters,” added the SDM.