JAMMU: Crucial from defence point of view, the take off point of Jammu Poonch National Highway, a kilometer away from the Rajinder Park Canal Head in heart of the capital city, has witnessed massive encroachment with Rehriwallas setting up canopies over the permanent mud-bolder base. Nearly 22 such canopies have come up in the past three days over the prime land earmarked for road widening. The vendors, mostly outsiders, are selling seasonal fruits and vegetables on the busiest road of the Jammu city.
The canopies are drawing electricity by hanging hooks and function till midnight. The business activity entails parking of vehicles, which mostly cause traffic jams on the otherwise congested highway leading to the up-city market, the fourth bridge on River Tawi and Government Medical College Hospital. The encroachers are so emboldened that they have even covered the parking slot of the JMC to sell melons and other fruit.
“How can this happen on the state land, market value of which is no less than Rs 10 to 15 lakh per Marla”, said the walkers, who use the opposite walk-way during mornings and evenings 24X7 while interacting with STATE TIMES, while alleging brazen connivance of the field staff of Jammu Municipal Corporation, Police and Power Development Department. The agency charged with widening the highway has been a mute spectator as some of the big business houses and saw mill owners have virtually usurped the road.
The morning walkers said that the area becomes vulnerable soon after the dusk, as all sort of anti-social elements assemble around the canopies and the Rehris on the secluded highway during nights. They said the operation of encroachers is advancing and almost entire stretch up to BSF Headquarters has been covered.
When asked, Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation Saujanya Sharma told STATE TIMES that all the encroachments would be removed immediately.
To a question about connivance of the enforcement wing of the Corporation, he said each aspect involved in allowing encroachments would be looked into.
With government agencies preferring to look to the other side for obvious reasons, the number of stationary Rehris, Pharis and mini markets established on the Akhnoor Road in particular have been flourishing on a large scale with each passing day.
Albeit, the facilities extended by encroachers have given rise to many problems responsible for adding to miseries of people living in the close vicinity apart from traffic congestion, power theft, accumulation of filth, etc.
By doing the in-depth analysis of problems being created by the hawkers usually in the evening, the STATE TIMES team found that hawkers have encroached large chunks of land for establishing the markets especially at Akhnoor Road, Lower Muthi, Rehari Colony, Talab Tillo, Bohri, Trikuta Nagar Extension (Bagar Mandi), etc.
The STATE TIMES team also found that the Municipal authorities have turned a blind eye towards this menace prevailing across the city for the reasons best known to its helmsmen. Places encroached by the Rehriwallas for business activity becomes choked especially during evenings when the bustle is at its prime. These temporary markets act as bottlenecks for already snarling traffic of this City of Temples.
The road side fruit markets at Akhnoor Road and Gandhi Nagar, have become the main source of obstruction for traffic plying on these stretches and at times have caused serious mishaps but the issue has not moved the JMC which seems to be in deep slumber. It was also found that officials of Power Development Department are also in the nexus by providing illegal power connections to these road side fruit sellers.
It has been observed that the anti-encroachment drives by JMC are conducted for namesake as the ground situation always remains the same with people selling goods on same spot with same zeal and to the same customers as ever.
Interacting with STATE TIMES, a resident of Trikuta Nagar Ravi Bhushan said that during evenings Rehris in large numbers flock at the Main Chowk Bagar Mandi (Trikuta Nagar Extension) and its surroundings creating undue mayhem and bringing traffic to a standstill.
A housewife Prabha, resident of Trikuta Nagar Extension said though variety of vegetables are easily available in the evenings that too at competitive prices but the area occupied by these hawkers is full of filth and garbage generating from rotten vegetables and fruits. She demanded that Municipal authorities should play their role generously to maintain cleanliness and establish order to facilitate vehicles plying near the market.