CUTTACK: The traffic police on Wednesday launched eviction drive to decongest major thoroughfares in the Millennium city. In the first phase, roadside vendors and encroachments from Choudhary Bazaar to Daragha Bazaar stretch were evicted. It is one of the busiest localities in the city.A joint team of traffic police, district administration and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) conducted the eviction drive. Atleast 40 unauthorised shops, roadside vendors doing business on the stretch were cleared and the team also acted tough against those who had parked their vehicles illegally on the road.Choudhary Bazaar is a major business hub in the city. Many wholesale cloth and essential item shops are located in the area which draws lot of customers daily. Due to illegal parking and encroachments by roadside vendors, vehicular movement on the stretch remains badly affected. Commuters face lot of inconvenience also.“The eviction was necessary to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the area. We will carry out similar eviction drive across the city,” said P K Dalei , ACP(Traffic) Cuttack.Dalei said fine amount of Rs 13,000 was also collected from encroachers. “There are many shop keepers who display their products on the roadside creating hindrance for commuters,"said a traffic official.To ensure that the stretch is not reoccupied by the encroachers, a team of traffic police will conduct regular monitoring of the stretch. Besides, strict warnings have been issued to the encroachers not to repeat the mistake.However, the roadside vendors have alleged that administration and police harasses them by doing such eviction drives. “The CMC is yet to create vending zones for us in the city. So where will we do our business. Without allotting any vending area to us, the administration carries such eviction drive and punishes us,” said Kanhu Das , a roadside vendor. In subsequent phases, eviction drive will be carried out in all the major junctions and thoroughfares in the city.

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