This story is from August 24, 2019

Year after demolition, temporary shops crop up in Dehradun's Prem Nagar

Year after demolition, temporary shops crop up in Dehradun's Prem Nagar
Image used for representational purpose only
DEHRADUN: Nearly a year after a task force led by the district administration demolished the illegal shops in Prem Nagar, new temporary structures have cropped up again. Traders operating in the area believe it was unfair on part of the authorities to demolish the area they had been conducting business in for decades.
As per the Dehradun municipal map, Prem Nagar is not meant to be occupied by shops and as a result, a task force had demolished them in September last year on Uttarakhand HC’s orders.
Shopkeepers in the area said they should have been provided an alternate arrangement first.
Till now, no action has been taken against the temporary structures in Prem Nagar. C Ravishankar, district magistrate of Dehradun said, “We will inspect whether temporary shops have come up and examine if they are legal. Further comments can be made only after a proper investigation.”
Rajeev Punj, president of the Prem Nagar Traders’ Association said, “As per HC orders, only 16 shops were supposed to be fully demolished but they (the task force) completely destroyed 60. They would have gone after the rest too, had we not rushed to the DM’s office. Total 150 shops and residences were demolished. They didn’t even spare the toilets built by traders for the convenience of shoppers. If the market was illegal, why was the government charging us tax for so many years. We have receipts for the rent that we paid.” Another trader added, “They could have increased the rent we paid, but they completely snatched away our bread and butter.”
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