BHUBANESWAR: A public park in the capital’s posh Saheed Nagar area has turned into a safe haven for anti-socials as it faces illegal encroachment. Locals said when BMC Bhawani Mall was constructed, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) had shifted makeshift shops to the BDA park which is close to a primary school in the area. The civic authorities later shifted the shops to the haat behind Durga mandap in Saheed Nagar.
However, a few shop owners did not move and continued to run their businesses illegally on the park premises. Soon, other people started their businesses by encroaching the park’s land. Locals said BDA has attempted twice to evict encroaches from the illegal Tinkonia haat but to no avail. During nights, the anti-socials consume alcohol in the area as they have easy access to food because of illegal hotels and eateries nearby, allege locals.
“A few days back when I was parking my car, some persons under influence of alcohol obstructed and assaulted me. I even lodged a complaint in this connection in Saheed Nagar police station,” said a local.
Residents said the park was primarily set up for children of the nearby primary school. Due to the illegal encroachments, they even face difficulty in visiting the nearby smart park.
Law and order situation has worsened as anti-socials visit the makeshift shops and regularly create nuisance in the area. People confronting them are being attacked. The residents alleged that anti-socials are also consuming drugs and this is causing a lot of apprehension amongst them, especially the senior citizens.
Bhubaneswar mayor Sulochana Das told the newspaper that the matter is being looked into. “When residents flagged that anti-socials were consuming drugs near a few parks during nights, steps were taken and lights were installed,” she said. Saheed Nagar IIC Manoj Kumar Satpathy said, raids are being frequently carried out in all the areas. Action is also being initiated against people found to be consuming alcohol in public places.