Bhubaneswar: A day after Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari announced that the state government will soon commence an eviction drive against influential persons who have illegally occupied government plots, the authorities on Thursday demolished the illegal structures built by a notorious criminal in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district.

The district administration demolished a meat shop, garage, ration shop and other illegal structures built by Md. Sonu (25), son of late Abdul Khalid, of Indra Awas Colony at Bandhabahal under Banharpali police limits in Jharsuguda.

The administration deployed a bulldozer to demolish the illegal structures. Sonu had been booked in at least four cases of crime under various Sections of IPC and Arms Act.

Sonu had been jailed for allegedly wrapping the severed head of goat in the National Flag in his meat shop in the past. He was recently arrested for opening fire on one Manoj Barik in the locality.

Other members of Sonu’s family including Md. Kamal (33), Md. Jalil (45), Md. Jamal (42) and Md. Sahazad (40) had been booked in at least 30 cases of crime, sources said.

The administration will soon evict encroachments on government plots at Khdam and Sarandamala mouzas of Jharsuguda.

“The illegal structures built by Md. Sonu were bulldozed today. He was carrying out many illegal activities from these unauthorized structures. We will soon remove all encroachments in the locality,” said Executive Magistrate and Lakhanpur Additional Tahsildar Kulamani Dalei.

The administration deployed at least three platoons of police personnel for conducting the eviction drive.

The Revenue Minister yesterday said unauthorized structures, including palatial buildings, cottages and pavilions, built by influential persons on government and forest land, will be razed soon.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had directed the district Collectors to take immediate steps to remove encroachments from government plots.

The Collectors were told to take possession of unauthorized constructions in both urban and rural areas of the state.

Notably, the Uttar Pradesh government had bulldozed the unauthorized structures of land grabbers and notorious criminals in the recent past.