Bhatkal: Following the orders of the District Chief Executive Officer, the Revenue Officers on Thursday evacuated the unauthorized shops in Murdeshwar. The drive was led under the supervision of Tahsildar amidst opposition from shopkeepers.

It shall be noted that Revenue officials have instructed shopkeepers to clear their unauthorized shops during a survey conducted earlier. However the shopkeepers failed to follow the orders within a given period, which led for the evacuation by government officials amidst heavy police security.

"Since 1981, we have been paying penalty to the Revenue department for installing shops and have been making a livelihood with small shops. Provide us with an alternate place for relocating of shops. We have been dependent on these shops for last 25 to 30 years. We will give the required space for road widening and allow us to install shops beyond that", the shopkeepers urged.

Addressing shopkeepers on this occasion, Tahsildar V P. Kotralli, said, these properties belong to Revenue department. Intending to make it clear for the road, Assistant Commissioner of Bhatkal and Cheif Executive Officer, Karwar have taken the decision after chairing the meetings. "For the purpose of enhancing the beauty of Murdeshwar village, we have cleared all the unauthorized shops, step by step, without any obstruction to the court's order", he said.