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The State units of the Bharaitya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress on Sunday warned to launch a major protest in Bhubaneswar in case of denial of adequate compensation to hundreds of traders affected in the eviction drive carried out by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) at the market near Ganesh Mandap in Jharpada area of the city on April 8.
Hundreds of affected businessmen along with delegations of BJP and Congress parties today lodged complaints, alleging their articles worth lakhs of rupees were damaged and stolen during the eviction drive within a short notice.
The BJP has warned that they would launch a massive strike if the affected shopkeepers are not suitably compensated.
“The BDA’s eviction drive near Ganesh Mandap has dealt a severe blow to over 500 poor vendors who used to earn their daily livelihood by doing some business. Some of them have lost properties worth lakhs to the eviction drive as they hardly got any time to save them,” said BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan.
Hitting out at the ruling Biju Janata Dal, Congress leader Madhusmita Acharya, who recently unsuccessfully contested for the BMC Mayor post, said the newly elected Mayor should personally meet the affected vendors and assure them of rehabilitation and justice.
Narrating how the BDA has left them nowhere, a shopkeeper Dulan Pal said they had a computer, a printer, a Xerox and lamination machines and a fridge in the shop but all were reduced to rubble during the eviction drive. “Though my husband and I pleaded with the police to allow us at least to collect our cash bag which contained Rs 20,000 in cash, they just turned a deaf ear. Instead, they beat up my husband inhumanly,” alleged Pal.
