CUTTACK: Even as Cuttack continues to reel under severe traffic congestion with the city roads narrowing down due to rampant encroachment by street vendors and illegal parking, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and the police seemingly do not give a hoot to the issues.
Ironical as it may seem, despite repeated orders from the Orissa High Court to remove encroachments from the roadsides, even the space along the high court boundary wall has not been spared.
Blatant encroachments by makeshift street vendors from vegetables to fruits to fast food along the wall of the high court has posed serious problems for the commuting public in the busy thoroughfare. At any point of time in the day, one can easily see at least five to seven vegetable and fruit sellers illegally setting up their carts on the footpath along the high court boundary wall, despite it being meant for pedestrians. When people halt to buy the foodstuff from the vendors, they park their vehicles on the road, as a result of which the stretch gets squeezed down leading to traffic jams.
Such an issue poses life risk for pedestrians, especially if they are senior citizens, people suffering from locomotive issues and schoolgoing children. “Lalbag police station is located just 150 metre away from this particular stretch. But the police and CMC authorities have curiously turned a blind eye to the illegalities. If this can happen with the Orissa High Court, what can we say about other stretches,” alleged a local resident.
Corporator of ward no 11, Arati Sahoo said she had repeatedly taken the issue to the Lalbag police but to no avail. “Neither do these makeshift vendors have trade licence nor is it a vending zone but the illegal businesses continue. It is because of the encroachments that we aren’t able to carry out the desilting and repair work of the drain located on the opposite side of the road,” she added.
Lalbag IIC, Satyabrata Bhutia, who joined service on Sunday, said he would look into the issue. Meanwhile, mayor Subhash Singh said the vendors had been evicted from the area thrice by the CMC enforcement wing but they keep returning back and setting up their carts even after that. “We will take stringent action against such vendors to ensure the place becomes a no vending and parking zone,” he said.