Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a move to ease traffic congestion, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has launched an encroachment removal drive targeting illegal commercial use of basement parking spaces across multiple zones in the city.
The action was taken at eight locations in Zones 4, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 19. At Pratap Vihar Apartment, Race Course Road, a dance class and godown were illegally running in the basement.
After sealing the premises earlier, IMC permanently filled the space with C&D waste to prevent future misuse.
Similarly, basements of three buildings in Ahilya Nagar were levelled with debris and C&D waste to prevent unauthorised commercial activities. In Ashok Nagar, a library was being operated in the basement of a building.
The IMC filled it with three tractor loads of C&D waste to restore the parking space. Likewise, shops and coaching centres were illegally operating in 3000 sq ft basement spaces in two buildings in Nemawar Nagar and Indrapuri.
The IMC cleared the encroachments in both locations. IMC also demolished 13 illegal shops constructed in basement spaces at Tilakpath and Manak Chowk.
Besides, the corporation removed four illegally constructed shops in Multani Colony that occupied basement parking. The IMC team, including building officer Ankesh Bithariya, building inspector Vishal Rathore and officials from the removal department, was present during the operations.
“The drive aims to restore basement parking spaces that were being misused for commercial purposes, including shops, coaching centres, showrooms and warehouses. Some basements were even illegally converted to ground level using construction and demolition (C&D) waste to bypass regulations,” municipal commissioner Shivam Verma said.
He has reiterated that strict action will continue against unauthorized construction and misuse of basement spaces to maintain urban order and improve traffic flow.
Verma urged citizens and businesses to adhere to building regulations and use basement spaces only for designated parking purposes.