Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is on a demolition spree of structures belonging to habitual offenders, as identified by city police. On Tuesday, it razed two such houses under Kharavela Nagar police station limits from a list of six offenders police had provided.“BMC officials said houses of others, irrespective of whether they are unauthorised, would be razed in a phased manner,” said BMC deputy commissioner (enforcement) Shanti Mishra.“The city police have provided list of habitual offenders, mostly thieves and burglars. Earlier, we demolished five structures in Kharavela Nagar area belonging to delinquents,” Mishra told TOI.BMC officials said the houses are mostly dingy ones with asbestos roofs and polythene sheets. “At some places, it was difficult for the enforcement teams to gain access to the houses with excavators because of narrow lanes. The enforcement squads manually pulled down some structures. In later phases, small machinery would be deployed to demolish completely, otherwise the houses may come up again,” a BMC officer said.Past week, the BMC central enforcement team also removed encroachment from footpath, as makeshift vending comes up times and again. “Regular inspection and enforcement are being carried out along footpaths on a daily basis to rid them of unauthorised occupants,” said Mishra.
