Patna: The district administration on Tuesday intensified its anti-encroachment drive across the city, with joint teams of the administration, Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) and police conducting operations in multiple areas and recovering Rs55,500 in fines. Officials said the cumulative penalty collected under the ongoing campaign has crossed Rs16 lakh.The action comes a day ahead of the launch of a month-long special anti-encroachment drive from July 1. Reviewing preparations, district magistrate (DM) Kundan Kumar reiterated a zero-tolerance policy against encroachment and directed officials to ensure strict enforcement and prevent re-encroachment through continuous monitoring and legal action against habitual offenders.The DM said encroachment on roads and public spaces leads to traffic congestion and inconvenience to citizens. He also directed officials to strictly enforce no-vending and no-parking zones and make greater use of technology, including the city’s CCTV network, to strengthen enforcement and traffic management.On Tuesday, joint teams carried out operations in areas under Nutan Rajdhani, Bankipur, Kankarbagh, Patna City, Pataliputra and Azimabad circles, besides Khagaul, Danapur and Phulwari Sharif municipal councils. Encroachments were removed from several key stretches, including R Block-Station roundabout, Nala Road, Arya Kumar Road, Bhikhna Pahari, Malahi Pakri-90 Feet Mor, Danapur Railway Station-Vijay Singh Yadav Path, Guru Gobind Singh Link Path, Ashok Rajpath, Gola Road and Khagaul Road. Temporary and permanent structures were demolished and materials used for encroachments were seized.The special drive will continue till July 31 across all six PMC circles and the municipal councils of Khagaul, Phulwarisharif and Danapur. A five-member monitoring cell has been constituted to oversee the campaign.PMC commissioner Yashpal Meena said 32 vending zones are being developed across the city. Vendors operating from unauthorised locations will be relocated to these designated zones in consultation with stakeholders. The administration also plans to use CCTV surveillance and other smart-city infrastructure to monitor cleared sites and prevent fresh encroachments.
