Residents resist anti-encroachment drive, set on fire vehicle

The residents of the twin colonies opposed the demolition bid of the illegally constructed houses and set on fire a government car when the demolition squad arrived, the police said.

They also burnt tyres on the road to prevent the entry of the demolition squad.

The womenfolk too joined the protest and sat on dharna on the streets and blocked entry of vehicles in the two colonies, they said.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Ramesh Kumar was camping on the spot with additional police reinforcement to bring the law and order situation under control, the police said

The Supreme Court, in an order dated September eight last, had directed the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) to demolish the illegal constructions in the two colonies by September 26 next.

The PMC authorities had identified about 131 illegal houses for demolition today, the police said.

The apex court had directed the PMC to remove all illegal construction in these two colonies and hand over the land to the Bihar Finance Co-operative House Construction Society.