Ratlam encroachment drive sparks protest against removal team:Residents block Shivgarh Road; allege they were left in jungle with only a tarpaulin shelter overnight

The administrative team that arrived to remove encroachment from the land of Ratlam’s Mega Industrial Park (investment area) has faced strong opposition. The people whose houses are to be demolished have blocked the Ratlam-Shivgarh Road. People have sat on a protest on the road, disrupting traffic. A large police force and administrative officials are present at the spot. The protesting people say that they have been living here for the past 30-40 years. Their grievance is that earlier they used to live on the banks of Amrit Sagar Pond in Ratlam city. The administration had removed them from there and sent them here (Bibrod). Now they are being displaced from here too. See three pictures ‘A tarpaulin was pitched in the jungle, how can we live there?’
Residents have expressed displeasure over the new location (Lakhangarh). They allege that the land provided by the administration is forest land. There are no permanent arrangements for living there; only tarpaulins have been put up. In such a situation, where should they go with their families and how will they survive in the forest? 30 houses and brick kilns to be removed today
It is to be noted that the administration arrived today (Monday) to clear 13 hectares of land for the Mega Industrial Park. Approximately 30 houses and 30 brick kilns are to be removed here. The administration has planned to shift people to Lakhangarh, 8 kilometers away, which people are opposing.