JEYPORE: The much-awaited eviction drive on Jeypore-Borrigumma National Highway (NH)-26 was started by the district administration from the old bus stand here from Wednesday.
The 25 km stretch of the NH from Jeypore to Borrigumma, which has been encroached upon by locals at several places, include Jeypore bus stand, MG Chowk, Christianpeta, Umuri, Randapali, Ambaguda, Kumuliput and Borrigumma. The encroachers have occupied up to 30 feet of the NH and this often leads to traffic jams.
A few weeks back, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had decided to expand the NH by spending around Rs 79 crore by extending it from seven metre to 10 metre. Accordingly, the NHAI had requested the Revenue department and police to free the NH from encroachment.
On the first day of the eviction drive, a 31-year-old public toilet complex at the bus stand was razed. The toilet complex was supposed to be demolished 10 years back but the local administration had been delaying it taking into consideration people’s convenience at the bus stand.
Jeypore Additional Tehsildar MR Patnaik said the drive would continue for the next couple of days and the encroachments on all NH pockets would be removed as per the norms.
The NHAI has sought permission to cut down around 2,600 plants and trees on the stretch for its expansion. Sources said the Forest department has already identified the plants and trees that would be felled and asked the NHAI to submit royalty. "We have already started the expansion of the NH and the construction work will be started very soon," said an engineer of NHAI, Jeypore.
Expansion plan