Kanpur: National Highway division of PWD demolished around 10 medical stores and a hotel near cardiology hospital in Rawatpur, on Sunday.District administration and National Highways officials reached the cardiology hospital in the morning with JCBs and staff. As soon as news of demolition spread, office-bearers of Retail Medicine Vyapar Mandal and others assembled and argued with officials but could not stop them from bulldozing the shops.Since one medical store owner had obtained a court stay, officials spared the shop, while others, including a hotel raised on the footpath, were demolished. The officials, however, allowed shop owners to remove their stock and other articles from the shops before the demolition.Officials that a jam-like situation often arose because the shops encroached the footpath and ambulances and other vehicles could not reach the hospital timely. There were speculations that since action was taken by NH division of PWD, the matter was related to widening of the road.General secretary of Retail Medicine Vendor Association, Praveen Bajpai, claimed the shops had been there for around 40 years and were not the cause of any road jam or harm to the public. He said the shops were demolished on complaint of the Cardiology hospital. The shops were on PWD land.
