ALAPPUZHA: Four official squads on Monday pulled down illegal sheds, hoardings and billboards and other structures that obstructed the smooth flow of traffic in Alappuzha town.

The demolition-cum-eviction drive, overseen by RDO M.V. Muralidharan, Ambalapuzha Tahsildar Antony Dominique and additional Tahsildar P.H. Abdul Gafoor, began early in the morning.

The squads, comprising officials from the Revenue and Public Works Departments, took action simultaneously at four spots in the town.

The maximum number of illegal commercial sheds were demolished near the KSRTC bus-stand. Hoardings, advertisement signage and cut-outs of political parties at the police outpost junction, Zero junction and near the Graveyard Bridge were either pulled down or shifted.

The CITU's Chungom unit office was pulled down during the drive. At the Mullakal junction, a few traders held up the drive.

The traders said they had not been given enough time to remove the "minor" projections on to the main road. However, the officials said the demolition drive had been announced a week ago and continued with their work. Mr. Gafoor said the drive would continue for a few more days. The next few days could see business enterprises, including a prominent jewellery chain's outlet, in the area being faced with earthmovers.

Action would soon be initiated against large-scale encroachments on Government land and `kayal' areas.

The administration had identified a few resorts, including one near Kalavoor, which had occupied Government `puramboke' land illegally, Mr. Gafoor said.

Around 1.48 hectares of land that had allegedly been illegally occupied by the Marari Beach Resort had been reclaimed.

The Tahsildars were preparing lists of encroachments that had been brought to their notice so as to initiate action. Specially constituted task forces were in the process of identifying Government land that had been encroached upon. The Democratic Youth Federation of India had declared that it would demolish a coir factory near Kalavoor. However, it did not happen as the activists returned after staging a dharna in front of the factory.

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