Sambalpur: Commotion in burla over illegal construction of houses, forcible eviction
Burla: A commotion erupted in Burla town on Thursday over the eviction of an illegal house constructed on government land. A dispute broke out on Thursday over the eviction of a house in Shakti Nagar area of PWD Colony in the city. JCBs were used to demolish the man’s house in the presence of additional tehsildar and police. The situation became so heated that clashes between the police and the locals erupted. Finally, it has been observed that the police administration has bowed down to public pressure.
Dolagobind Sahu and his family have been living in the Shaktinagar area of PWD Colony for many years. Before he used to have a mud house. He is now constructing a cement house after demolishing the mud house. The building is still under construction. However, the police administration arrived in front of the house early this morning to demolish it. Following this, the villagers began to protest. Dolagobind is not the only one who has constructed a house on government land; hundreds of such houses have been constructed in this area, including Burla.
It is claimed that despite repeated requests for the residents to be given long-term leases, neither the district administration nor the state government is making any progress in finding a solution. However, there was popular anger about the administration’s decision to select one house for eviction despite the fact that homes had been constructed on govt land in several parts of the city.
Police personnel of Burla police station including Burla-Hirakud SDPO Satyabrata Das, Additional Tehsildar Lopamuda Kalo, RI Harisul Nayak were present during the evacuation.
