Mohali: A municipal corporation (MC) anti-encroachment drive in Phase 4 turned violent Thursday when a tehbazari team was allegedly attacked by a group of five people while removing furniture displayed on a public footpath. Two MC employees were injured in the incident.The injured, identified as Gaurav Kumar and Piyush, were taken to the civil hospital for treatment. Police have registered a case against five unidentified persons on the complaint of Gaurav Kumar, an outsourced MC employee.According to the complaint, the corporation has constituted special teams to check encroachments on footpaths and public spaces across the city. A team led by superintendent Mandeep Singh and Harminder Singh had reached the Phase 4 area as part of the drive.The team was moving from Madanpura towards Diplast Chowk when officials spotted old furniture being sold from the footpath. As they began seizing the goods, the sellers allegedly resisted and attacked the enforcement staff.Gaurav alleged that some women were also among the attackers, who assaulted team members with rods and scissors. He and Piyush sustained injuries before the accused fled the spot.Police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and launched efforts to identify and trace the accused.Encroached Furniture Market Back in FocusThe old furniture market operating along the footpath near Madanpura Chowk in Phase 4 has long been a point of concern for civic authorities. Furniture displayed on the roadside frequently encroaches on pedestrian space and is blamed for traffic congestion in the area. The site has also witnessed fire incidents in the past. Despite repeated seizure drives, the encroachments have resurfaced, prompting renewed enforcement action by the municipal corporation.
