Indore, Oct 6 (IANS) : Two people were detained after stones were allegedly pelted at police and a civic body team during an anti-encroachment drive in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Tuesday to clear the way for the construction of a pending stretch of the RE-2 road.
The incident took place around 11 a.m. when a team from the Indore Municipal Corporation and district administration, accompanied by police personnel and earthmoving machines, reached Bicholi Kakad, Shiv Nagar and Shiv Darshan Nagar to remove structures on the road alignment.
Some people protested against the action, and the situation turned tense after stones were allegedly thrown at the removal team and police, they said.
Police used mild force to disperse the protesters and restore order. Two people suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment, while two others were detained in connection with the incident.
“Some people protested during the removal operation, and stones were pelted at the police and the civic team. Mild force was used to control the situation, and two persons have been detained,” a police official said.
The official said the situation was brought under control, and police were deployed in the area to prevent any further disturbance. “The action is being taken as per the demarcation of the road alignment and administrative orders. Adequate police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order during the drive,” the official said.
The RE-2 road is 4.25 km long and 45 metres wide. Around 3.20 km of the road has already been completed, while work on a roughly one-km stretch between Bengali Square and Pipliyahana has remained pending for about three years due to encroachments and other obstructions.
According to information, around Rs 55 crore has so far been spent on road and connectivity-related works. Seven settlements fall along the remaining alignment. In the Pipliyahana-Bicholi Kakad area, 325 families have already been relocated, including 303 families who are residing in allotted housing units. Twenty-two houses could not be removed earlier due to a court stay.
Following the court’s decision, alternative housing has been allotted to the affected families, and they have been served a 15-day notice. Besides these houses, 58 illegal makeshift structures have also been removed.
Families from Shanti Nagar, the Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple area, Skand Dham Colony and the settlement near the RTO have already been relocated to the Nilgiri Complex under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The administration plans to relocate another 117 families living in 80 houses in Shiv Nagar and 72 families residing in 55 houses in Shiv Darshan Nagar to the same complex.
