BARIPADA: Baripada MLA Prakash Soren on Wednesday lashed out at the civic body for its eviction drive at the bus stand.
Terming the move as illegal, he said the municipality has no authority to vacate the area around the bus stand as the land belongs to the Endowment department. The MLA also alleged that the civic body has given temporary licences to 255 shops in the town illegally and a few councillors are involved in the racket.
He said eviction drives carried out by the civic body cause inconvenience to roadside traders. Accusing the district administration of turning a blind eye to the menace of roadside parking of buses across the town, he said, “No action is taken by the administration in this regard as the owners of the buses are close to political leaders.” Soren said due to lack of intervention of the district administration and Endowment department, around 44,673 acre of land has been encroached upon by politicians muscle men and influential persons.
If the land is reclaimed, then all problems pertaining to Haribaldev Jew temple can be addressed. Earlier, he had slammed the district administration over the decision to remove temporary shops from Grand Road. He took to social media to express his disappointment on the issue.
The legislator had alleged that the district administration was trying to ruin the culture and tradition of the town by imposing the ban. However, later the decision was revoked and the traders were asked to close their shops during pulling of chariots and Bahuda Yatra, the return journey of the Trinity.