Bhubaneswar: Salia Sahi, Bhubaneswar's largest slum cluster, has undergone a sweeping eviction drive to make way for the construction of a planned 200-foot parallel road from Ekamra Kanan to the IMA building. The administration had set a seven-day deadline for removing encroachments, but the eviction work was completed in just three days.

A total of 556 identified houses were demolished during the drive, and work on the road began immediately to prevent re-encroachment. Six platoons of police assisted officials from the Works Department, BMC, BDA, electricity division, and WATCO, all of whom continue to remain stationed at the site to speed up road construction.

Salia Sahi was once considered an extremely challenging zone for administrative intervention. Even basic repair work often drew heavy opposition. This time, however, except for minor resistance on the first day, the eviction proceeded without major confrontation. Authorities managed to reclaim nearly 12 acres of land required for the road. No structures beyond this earmarked area were demolished, a BDA official said.

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Meanwhile, families who had temporarily taken shelter in open spaces nearby were also removed on Thursday. Many vacated after receiving warnings from the administration, while those who stayed back faced strict action. Bulldozers later cleared temporary tents, leaving the area empty by evening. Residents cooperated with officials and moved out their belongings on their own, avoiding any disruption on the third day of the drive.

Allotment of new houses underway

As eviction continued on one side, allotment of houses under the Buddha Vihar Housing Project progressed on the other. Beneficiaries who had already received their keys have begun shifting, while others have been asked to collect keys immediately. Officials warned that families refusing to cooperate may face strict action and risk losing their housing benefits.

Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said some people were being misled by individuals who had rented out multiple houses in the slum and feared losing income.

During the operation, officials were surprised by the extent of household items found inside the demolished units. Many structures, though small from the outside, contained beds, refrigerators, washing machines, cupboards, air coolers, and even pet dogs.

Political links exposed

The eviction drive also revealed political links to the encroachments. A sarpanch from Chilika constituency and two BMC corporators reportedly owned multiple houses in the area and had rented them out. They did not protest the demolition and instead cooperated with the administration.

One house demolished unintentionally

On the first day of the drive, one house was mistakenly demolished. Authorities later provided compensation of Rs 50,000 to the affected family in the presence of senior police officials. The error reportedly occurred due to miscommunication between departments.