Hundreds of houses demolished as BDA conducts biggest eviction drive

Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has kicked off one of the biggest anti-encroachment drive in Shampur Mouza under Bharatpur police limits on the outskirts of the capital city for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

The eviction drive began early in the morning at around 7 am. The BDA aims to demolish nearly 150 houses built on 15 acres of encroached land in today’s eviction drive. On Friday, as many as 187 houses, including 31 under-construction structures, were also demolished.

The drive aims to clear nearly 68 acres of encroached land. However, the action has sparked controversy, with several affected residents protesting against the eviction drive.

On Friday, the BDA launched a major demolition exercise under the direction of Vice-Chairman Chanchal Rana, with Joint Commissioner Ranjan Kumar Jena leading the on-ground operation.

A 150-member BDA team has been deployed for the eviction process, supported by heavy machinery, including multiple JCBs.

To maintain law and order, 10 platoons of police force along with over 50 police officers, have been stationed at the site.

Officials stated that multiple notices had been issued earlier and announcements were made through loudspeakers, urging encroachers to vacate voluntarily. Authorities maintained that the eviction drive was carried out following due process.

During the operation, 72 LPG cylinders, including 21 small ones, were recovered from an encroached house and later handed over to the Civil Supplies Department.