Jalpaiguri: The High Court has issued an order to demolish illegal shops situated in front of a marketing establishment on Public Works Department (PWD) land. Acting on this directive, the National Highway 9 Division of the PWD has initiated the demolition of five shops near Subhash More in Malbazar town.
The demolition work began on Friday morning with the use of bulldozers along the National Highway. A substantial police presence was deployed to ensure the smooth progress of the operation.
“We are executing the demolition of the shops in compliance with the High Court’s orders,” stated Debbrata Thakur, Executive Engineer of PWD (Roads).
Subhshankar Ghosh, a concerned businessman, stated: “We have cooperatively demolished our shop, hoping for fair compensation from the honorable court.” However, another affected shop owner, Subrata Chandra, claimed injustice and vowed to seek recourse in higher courts.
This issue surrounding the land in Malbazar town has been the subject of a prolonged legal dispute. The owner of the marketing establishment filed a contempt of court case directly against several engineers, including the Executive Engineer of PWD (Roads), alleging non-compliance with the lower court’s judgment despite subsequent rulings from the High Court’s single or division bench.