In a major overnight anti-encroachment operation, railway authorities on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday demolished several "illegal" stalls, temporary shops, tin sheds and other unauthorised structures at Park Circus Railway Station, using bulldozers and heavy machinery.
The drive was carried out as part of a broader campaign to clear encroachments from public spaces in line with Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari’s call for removal of ‘illegal’ construction. Railway officials said the operation targeted structures that had occupied railway land and areas adjoining the station platforms for years.
Teams from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), the railway's engineering department, and the local administration jointly conducted the demolition under tight security. Police personnel remained deployed throughout the operation to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incidents.
Besides razing the structures, authorities also cleared goods and materials stored inside the demolished shops.
According to railway officials, the encroachments had been creating inconvenience for passengers while posing "serious safety and fire hazards." They said the objective of the drive was to reclaim railway land, improve passenger movement and ensure safer station premises.
"Regular monitoring will be carried out to prevent fresh encroachments," railway authorities said, adding that the clearance drive forms part of an ongoing effort to keep railway property free of unauthorised occupation.
The demolition triggered mixed reactions. While several affected shopkeepers voiced concern over the loss of their livelihoods, many local residents welcomed the action, saying the encroachments had contributed to traffic congestion, poor sanitation and safety concerns around the station.
Officials said the Park Circus operation is part of a wider anti-encroachment campaign being undertaken across the city to reclaim public land and improve civic infrastructure.
