Ludhiana, July 4 -- A high drama unfolded in the busy mobile market near Mata Rani Chowk when a team from the Municipal Corporation's tehbazari wing launched an encroachment removal drive on Thursday morning. As the officials concerned began clearing temporary structures, including roadside counters that had been placed by shopkeepers outside their shops, traders confronted them, but to no avail.

Just a stone's throw from the MC's Zone A office, these encroachments were untouched for years. MC officials said they had issued repeated warnings to shopkeepers, urging them to remove the illegal set-ups to ease traffic congestion in the area. "We informed them several times that their actions disrupt traffic movement and cause inconvenience t...