BAHRAICH/LUCKNOW: Riot-scarred Maharajganj in UP's Bahraich had an air of resignation to it Sunday as villagers scrambled to salvage whatever they could from their homes and shops, with some voluntarily pulling down portions of their properties marked for demolition by PWD at the end of the initial three-day notice period.
Traders hurriedly emptied their shops and tin sheds lay dismantled in a sign of fear hammering down on the neighbourhood of Abdul Hameed - he and three of his sons are suspects in the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra during the October 13 flare-up - well before the bulldozers were to roll in.
Notices had been served on 23 homes and shops to vacate the portions of government land they had allegedly encroached by Sunday evening.
Hameed's property was among those notified for demolition on Oct 18, five days after that part of Bahraich erupted in communal violence originating from an attack on a Durga Puja immersion procession over the revellers purportedly playing loud music.
A senior PWD official said the encroachments were along Kundaasur-Mahsi-Nanpara road in Maharajganj's commercial hub. "We mentioned in the notice that any construction within 60 feet of the centre of a main road in rural areas without prior approval from PWD is illegal."
According to the notice, owners of all such properties can submit original copies of prior approval from the Bahraich DM or any other authority to the department to save these from demolition.
The official said the department had issued notices last year, too, mentioning that encroachment on a road like the Kundasar-Mahsi-Nanpara link causes traffic congestion and delays movement of essential goods to other districts.
Station house officer K S Chaturvedi of Hardi police station said Hameed's shop, which stands on the roadside adjacent to his house, was about 40 feet from the middle of the thoroughfare.
Another resident in the shop beside Hameed's said he complied with the notice, pulling down an extended shed.
Some of the other traders who received notices conceded that they may have encroached on government land, but questioned why those on the opposite side of the road weren't being targeted. Of the 23 residents whose properties are red-listed, three are Hindus - siblings Moon, Nankau and Pappu. They are Hameed's neighbours.
Traders hurriedly emptied their shops and tin sheds lay dismantled in a sign of fear hammering down on the neighbourhood of Abdul Hameed - he and three of his sons are suspects in the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra during the October 13 flare-up - well before the bulldozers were to roll in.
Notices had been served on 23 homes and shops to vacate the portions of government land they had allegedly encroached by Sunday evening.
Hameed's property was among those notified for demolition on Oct 18, five days after that part of Bahraich erupted in communal violence originating from an attack on a Durga Puja immersion procession over the revellers purportedly playing loud music.
A senior PWD official said the encroachments were along Kundaasur-Mahsi-Nanpara road in Maharajganj's commercial hub. "We mentioned in the notice that any construction within 60 feet of the centre of a main road in rural areas without prior approval from PWD is illegal."
According to the notice, owners of all such properties can submit original copies of prior approval from the Bahraich DM or any other authority to the department to save these from demolition.
The official said the department had issued notices last year, too, mentioning that encroachment on a road like the Kundasar-Mahsi-Nanpara link causes traffic congestion and delays movement of essential goods to other districts.
Station house officer K S Chaturvedi of Hardi police station said Hameed's shop, which stands on the roadside adjacent to his house, was about 40 feet from the middle of the thoroughfare.
Another resident in the shop beside Hameed's said he complied with the notice, pulling down an extended shed.
Some of the other traders who received notices conceded that they may have encroached on government land, but questioned why those on the opposite side of the road weren't being targeted. Of the 23 residents whose properties are red-listed, three are Hindus - siblings Moon, Nankau and Pappu. They are Hameed's neighbours.
You may also like
BBC Antiques Roadshow guest lost for words as 'piece of tat' receives huge value
Strictly Come Dancing fans rejoice as Katya Jones and Wynne Evans bounce back from scandal
Lando Norris takes aim at Max Verstappen with angry remarks after United States GP penalty
Archaeology breakthrough as Noah's Ark's final location may have just been discovered
Max Verstappen dodges Lando Norris question after being called out by Jenson Button
