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Encroachments turn green

Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

New look: One of the new vending zones in Bhubaneswar. —

BHUBANESWAR: A 100-metre walk from State secretariat towards Rajmahal Square will give one only ‘green spectacles’.

It is not that avenue plantation has suddenly become dense but all roadside shops have got green paints to earn identification of being part of Vending Zones.

With Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) going into overdrive to allot space to roadside vendors in vending zones, citizens are slowly voicing concern over the concept alleging that it has emerged from ‘weak enforcement of clearing encroachments along different roads.’

The BMC has far set up 29 vending zones even as general administration department (GA) of State government gave permission to 32 such zones.

“No doubt it is a noble idea to address livelihood concern of roadside vendors. But I am fed up to see a vending zone within every 50 metre distance in the city. It seems to me that all previous roadside encroachments have turned green," Braja Das, a resident of Unit-9, said.

From Rajmahal to AG Square, every inch of space has been literally converted into vending zone that envisages temporary sheds.

But traders are grabbing every chance and converting their cabins into shops with iron frames.

Corporators are too not fully convinced about the implementation of the vending zones scheme.

"We are pushing ourselves into further litigations. If the corporation is creating space for traders on humanitarian ground, we are sure that the civic body would be dragged into courts whenever it attempts to remove zones for future development," P. C. Jena, a corporator of Ward No-28, said.

He said Public Works Department had proposed to develop 20 road stretches in the capital city.

"But after creation of the vending zones, things have really turned worse. We are heading for facing oppositions from inhabitants of vending zones," Mr. Jena said.

However, BMC Commissioner Aparajita Sarangi dismissed all apprehensions. "We are going for vending zones in a systematic and rational manner. We have involved every stakeholder including traders, GA and BMC. Since vending zones are temporary in nature, they could be cleared for development in anytime," Ms. Sarangi said.

She said vending zones were not encroaching upon the footpaths. Traffic congestions were not going to take place due to the zones, Ms Sarangi averred.

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