Tension prevailed during an eviction drive launched by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) at Market Building area at Unit 2 area here on Monday.
Alleging that some officials of the BMC enforcement squad misbehaved with some shopkeepers, scores of traders staged a demonstration and demanded immediate action against the concerned officials.
“The officials who were part of the eviction drive misbehaved with us. They questioned why we have set up shops here and asked us to go and wash utensils,” said a protester.
Another protester said, “We opposed the eviction as we wanted proper rehabilitation before eviction.”
The BMC officials said the shops which have got necessary stay orders from the High Court were not razed. Moreover, the traders were informed in advance about the eviction yesterday.
“No notice was served nor the authorities allowed us to shift our belongings,” alleged a trader.
Meanwhile, the BMC officials could not be contacted over the allegations.