Patna, (Bihar Times): The Patna Municipal Corporation
will start its anti-encroachment drive from today. According to the Commissioner, Patna
Municipal Corporation, Rana Awadesh Singh, the
phase-wise drive will start on January 7 from Gandhi
Maidan and its adjoining areas and Kadamkuan.
From January 8 the sprawling Kankarbagh Colony will be
taken up for this purpose. From January 11 the
bull-dozers would move into Shashtrinagar Colony. From
January 12 the encroachment drive will be taken up in
New Capital area while from January 14 roads in and
around the Patna Museum will be cleared off all the
encroachers. All the illegal hoardings, cow-sheds,
shops, stalls etc would be removed in the process.
Patna, it needs to be mentioned, saw a major
beautification campaign in 1995 on the eve of NRI meet
organized by the then chief minister, Lalu Yadav.
Areas around Patna railway station, Museum, Gandhi
Maidan etc were taken up for the beautification drive
then.
Though several small encroachment drives have been
taken up since then, Patna essentially remained a
garbage and water-logged city. The citizens are now
looking with their fingers crossed as even the central
government has promised generous grants for the
development of city on the pattern of metros.