Jaipur: There are ubiquitous small kiosks selling everything from cold coffees to cigarettes in the city, and they have cropped up on pavements, footpaths and roadsides. The police suspect that some “encroachment mafia,” is working behind the scenes to facilitate squatters.
A senior traffic police official said they had shared the same suspicion with the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) officials and the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC).
“Many times traffic constables remove a squatter, but a few days later the violator is back in the same spot. We suspect that some facilitate them in encroaching on pavements,” said the official.
The official said that the police have also witnessed multiple illegal kiosks that have never been removed by the civic bodies. “The owners keep on changing but the kiosks remain in the same place. It could be a case of someone setting up kiosks and subletting it to others for a hefty amount,” the official added.
The police said that hawkers and vendors have not come up at even non-vending zones of the city. Citing one example, the official said that one particular stretch on Sahakar Marg is completely overrun by fruit and vegetable sellers. Once in a while, the anti-encroachment drive starts to remove squatters but a few hours later they are back to their old practices.
“Who is letting squatters become so emboldened to keep encroaching on the public road is a matter of investigation,” said the official.
The menace of encroachment has become a new ordeal for authorities too. For instance, several hawkers and vendors have set up shops on both sides of Mahesh Nagar 200-feet road. The wide road is shrunk due to growing encroachment, resulting in frequent traffic jams during the evening.
In fact, locals complain that vegetable and juice vendors often keep their pushcarts right in the middle of the road due to which residents have a tough time entering their colonies.
A senior traffic police official said they had shared the same suspicion with the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) officials and the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC).
“Many times traffic constables remove a squatter, but a few days later the violator is back in the same spot. We suspect that some facilitate them in encroaching on pavements,” said the official.
The official said that the police have also witnessed multiple illegal kiosks that have never been removed by the civic bodies. “The owners keep on changing but the kiosks remain in the same place. It could be a case of someone setting up kiosks and subletting it to others for a hefty amount,” the official added.
The police said that hawkers and vendors have not come up at even non-vending zones of the city. Citing one example, the official said that one particular stretch on Sahakar Marg is completely overrun by fruit and vegetable sellers. Once in a while, the anti-encroachment drive starts to remove squatters but a few hours later they are back to their old practices.
“Who is letting squatters become so emboldened to keep encroaching on the public road is a matter of investigation,” said the official.
The menace of encroachment has become a new ordeal for authorities too. For instance, several hawkers and vendors have set up shops on both sides of Mahesh Nagar 200-feet road. The wide road is shrunk due to growing encroachment, resulting in frequent traffic jams during the evening.
In fact, locals complain that vegetable and juice vendors often keep their pushcarts right in the middle of the road due to which residents have a tough time entering their colonies.
