The Vijayapura City Corporation, with the help of the police, razed several shops set up near the road connecting the railway station under its encroachment removal drive.
The drive, which was started on Sunday morning, used heavy earthmovers to raze shops and commercial establishments constructed on the road.
Speaking to The Hindu , Corporation Commissioner Audram said that 25 shops were razed during the drive to remove encroachments and widen the road.
He said that the shops had encroached upon 12 feet of road leading to the railway station.
Due to the encroachments, people were facing inconvenience as shops had left only a narrow passage on the road for commuters.
“We had given them notice a couple of days ago to vacate the shops by marking how much area they have encroachment upon. But even after that, the shopkeepers did not acknowledge our direction, thus we had no choice but to remove the encroachments,” he said.
Meanwhile, the shopkeepers alleged that the authorities did not serve them notice. They also said that they have legal documents of ownership of shops.
The corporation has refuted the claim and said that all shops were built illegally on public land.
