Bhonpuram Khabari. Rudrapur: On Friday morning, the administration carried out a campaign to demolish more than 120 shops in the Ram Manohar Lohia Market near the bus stand in the Udham Singh Nagar district headquarters, Rudrapur. The eviction drive has caused uproar in the area. Due to heavy police deployment, local shopkeepers were unable to protest on the streets. Prior to the campaign, former MLA Rajkumar Thukral, and various other political and trade leaders, were taken into custody and sent to Pantnagar police station.
The shops were removed using JCBs and section 144 was implemented in the area. The administration deployed a heavy police force to the scene, and no public leader was allowed to enter the area which was cordoned off by the police personnel. According to reports, the administration arrested former MLA Thukral, president of the city traders’ union Sanjay Juneja, MLA Tilak Raj Behar’s son Garuav Behar and Congress city president Jagdish Taneja to quell any protests.
Ashu Grover, a victim shopkeeper, expressed his disappointment, saying, “This is our only source of livelihood. We have been running these shops for three generations, and now we are left with nothing. We are devastated and don’t know how to move forward.”
Notably, the administration’s decision to remove these shops was due to the G-20 conference, and the shops were constructed on the encroached land. The invitees of the G20 conference, to be held in Ramnagar of Nainital, will travel by road from Pantnagar airport to Ramnagar. These shops were falling enroute and the administration had planned to widen the highways. Consequently, the shops were razed.
In protest against this decision, all the shopkeepers had earlier handed over the keys to their shops to the local administration and the local BJP legislator Shiv Arora. Subsequently, they began protesting in front of the market. During the six-day demonstration, the traders fasted, took out processions, and even wrote letters with their blood to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami seeking relief from the demolition drive. However, their efforts were in vain as the administration did not listen to their demands.
Another shopkeeper, Rajesh Chhabra, said, “This is an injustice. We have lost our livelihoods in hours. We were not given any opportunity to relocate or make alternative arrangements. We are now left with nothing, and their future remains uncertain. The administration’s decision has caused disappointment and outrage among the traders, who are now seeking justice”.
“The demolition of 120 shops in Lohia Market by the administration has caused great distress among the shopkeepers. The authorities must take the necessary steps to address their concerns and provide them with adequate compensation”, said Himanshu Gava, district president of Congress.
According to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Pratyush Singh, the decision to remove these shops was taken after careful consideration of the situation. The shops were causing obstruction to the Rudrapur-Nainital highway, which is an important route for transportation, especially during the G-20 conference. The administration had given prior notice to the shopkeepers to vacate the premises, but they failed to comply. Singh further said, “We understand the concerns of the shopkeepers, but we had no other option but to carry out the demolition drive. We are willing to work with the shopkeepers to provide them with alternative arrangements and compensation wherever possible.”
The officer also added that the demolition drive was carried out with all necessary legal permits and clearances, and the administration had followed due process before taking this decision.
