Shopkeepers feel fighting a losing battle against encroachers
Welcome To CitySpidey

Location

Shopkeepers feel fighting a losing battle against encroachers

The vendors cover almost entire space in the front leaving little space for customers.

Shopkeepers feel fighting a losing battle against encroachers

Noida: Shop owners of Sector 110 regret investing in the commercial properties allotted by the Noida Authority. They feel it has not proven a wise decision. 

Reason: the front space of their properties are illegally occupied by vendors. 

Shop owners welfare association is mounting pressure on the Noida Industrial Development Authority to clear illegal occupancy without success.  

The vendors cover almost entire space in the front leaving little space for customers to walk into the shops. 

Ramvir Sharma, president of the association, said it's not worth buying a commercial space of the authority. One needs to be discreet while investing in a commercial property. 

"One should invest in these properties only after getting an assurance from the authority that the front space would not be encroached upon by illegal vendors. It should guarantee a profitable deal,” he averred. 

“It's an irony, invest on properties, repay bank loans with interest, pay taxes, and then lose out the prime land to the illegal vendors,” Sharma added wryly.  

Alleging lack of will to remove the encroachers, he said the authority was unfair to the shop keepers. 

"I have been raising the issue of illegal occupancy at the Sector 110 market for the past 12 years. Initially, there were only one or two vendors, but their number increased with the passage of time. Now, the entire space outside the shops is occupied by them,” Sharma narrated. 

Under pressure, the authority does remove the encroachment. But after a day or two, the vendors will be back in their business. 

“There seems to be no solution to the menace,” he muttered in despair.