The move by the Hubballi Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System (HD-BRTS) company to issue notices to owners of buildings and shops located on either side of the BRTS corridor in Dharwad for clearing alleged encroachments has led to objection by some landowners who have accused the company of protecting the influential.
HDBRTS Company has already issued notices to owners of land, buildings, and shops who, according to them, have reportedly encroached upon pavements in Dharwad.
Earlier, under the project the road was widened to 35m within the city and to 44m outside the city limits. But now according to a survey by the authorities, it has been found that the pavements on either side of the road dedicated for mixed traffic have been encroached upon. Temporary and permanent structures have been erected encroaching upon the pavements and in some cases the barbed wire fencing has been laid.
According to the company, shopkeepers at some places between Gandhi Nagar and Jubilee Circle have extended their shops onto the footpath thus forcing the pedestrians to walk on the mixed lane, consequently leading to traffic jams, causing hardships to both pedestrian and motorists.
Issuing notices to owners of the buildings, land, and shops, BRTS company has asked the owners to clear the encroachments on their own by March 15, failing which it would launch demolition drive to clear encroachments under police protection.
Managing Director of BRTS Gurudutt Hegde has referred to a court order for clearing encroachments over pavements to facilitate hassle free movement for pedestrians. People should cooperate with the authorities for facilitating free movement for pedestrians, he has said.
Cry foul
However, some owners of these buildings and shops have cried foul over the notices issued. Speaking to presspersons in Dharwad on Saturday, Anil Manjanbail, Ravi Gaonkar, and others accused the BRTS of sparing the influential building owners while issuing notices.
They said that the building and land owners were already at a loss as after acquisition was carried out, they were left with only small portion of their land by the road side.
The authorities had not yet made clear whether the road width mentioned earlier included the 2.5m wide pavement or excluded it. Moreover the building and shop owners, had brought the issue to the notice of the authorities before taking up renovation, they said.
They alleged that the authorities, who had remained silent for five years, had now issued notices mentioning about encroachments and that they would be demolished in a week.
Conduct survey
They said they would urge the authorities to first conduct survey of the road and the pavement before launching the demolition drive. They urged the authorities to convene a meeting of all stakeholders to clear confusion and the issue was sorted out.
“If the officials continue to avoid the real issue and are bent on conducting drive, we will be forced to send letters to the Prime Minister’s office seeking immediate intervention,” they said.
