Thursday, 01 July 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Alleging that local businessmen of Dehradun city are being harassed in the name of the smart city project, Doon Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DUVM) and Patel Market association protested against the officials of Dehradun Smart City Limited (DSCL) on Wednesday. According to the local businessmen of Rajpur Road, the smart city workers are shifting the allignment of a drain from Rajpur that passes through Clock Tower via Astley Hall towards the local shops by five feet. They said that the shopkeepers have already set up their shops away from the drain by leaving enough space but DSCL is now making new drains in those spaces. “After some time, the officials will accuse us of encroachment for setting up shops over or near the drains.
The old drain functions well. The new drain will cause water stagnation and the water might enter inside the shops due to the high pressure in monsoon,” said Shamshad Ahmad, head of Patel Market association. The administration has dug out most of the marketplaces in the city but has failed to complete the construction work of even one location, stated the shopkeepers. They claimed that the officials do not give them any notice before breaking or damaging their property like the floor or tiles even when they demand a written notice. Secretary of DUVM, Sunil Masson said that the associations want DSCL to first finish the pending construction work before commencing new work. He said that the association members met the DSCL officials and asked them to make new drain at the site of the old drain rather than starting construction at new places. Masson also informed that when businessmen contacted MLA Khajan Das regarding the matter, he assured that the new drain will not be shifted towards the shops.
Meanwhile, the members of both the associations said that if DSCL shifts the drain and harasses local shopkeepers, they will commence a strike against the administration.
