Traders in Panic Over Rooms Built Behind Shops; Questions Raised Over Security
“Is the Market Committee Meant for Trade or for Establishing Illegal Settlements?”
Ranchi: An atmosphere of fear and insecurity currently prevails among traders at the Pandara Agricultural Produce Market Committee. While a cycle of enforcement actions and allegations regarding encroachment continues within the market committee premises on one hand, traders, on the other, have expressed grave concern over rooms allegedly built illegally behind their shops.
Traders state that certain individuals have illegally constructed rooms near the rear shutters of the shops and have begun residing there. According to them, this constitutes a direct act of encroachment, posing a looming threat to the safety and security of the traders.
The traders explained that, particularly at night, they live in constant fear that the rear shutters might be broken open and the merchandise stored inside their shops stolen. They point out that goods worth lakhs of rupees are kept in the shops, and under these circumstances, they feel perpetually vulnerable regarding their security.
A correspondent from *M Bharat 24 News LIVE* visited the specific structure—which the traders have identified as an encroachment—and attempted to speak with the people residing there. However, no one was found present at the premises at that time.
Now, the most pressing question arises: Is the Agricultural Produce Market Committee truly intended for trade and commerce, or is it gradually being transformed into a site for illegal settlements? Furthermore, another pertinent question is being raised: If this indeed constitutes an encroachment, why have the concerned authorities failed to take concrete action against it thus far?
