Indore authorities demolished 58 unauthorised temporary structures in the Pipliyahana–Bicholi Kankad area on Tuesday to clear the right-of-way for the delayed RE-2 master plan road, while opposition to the drive led to minor injuries and the detention of two people.
A joint team of the Indore Municipal Corporation, district administration and police carried out the operation along the road stretch connecting Bengali Square with Pipliyahana. Residents from Bicholi Kankad, Shiv Nagar and Shiv Darshan Nagar opposed the action, and a crowd briefly resorted to stone pelting. Police intervened to disperse the crowd, according to the Times of India report on the operation.
The structures were removed to facilitate the construction of the planned 45-metre-wide road. SDM Ghanshyam Dhangar said the RE-2 corridor is 4.25 km long, of which 3.2 km has been completed at an approximate cost of Rs 55 crore. The remaining one-kilometre stretch had stayed incomplete for three years because of encroachments and settlements at seven locations.
The clearance operation is linked to a broader relocation process for families living along the proposed alignment. Officials said four of the seven affected settlements have already been rehabilitated at Nilgiri Complex under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. These locations are Shanti Nagar, Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple Nayta Road, Skanddham Colony and a settlement near the Regional Transport Office.
In the Pipliyahana–Bicholi Kankad belt, 303 of 325 families had previously been relocated, officials said. The remaining 22 families had obtained stay orders. They were served 15-day notices after recent judicial resolutions, according to the report. The details of the rehabilitation arrangements and the terms applicable to individual families were not provided in the supplied material.
The administration has scheduled further demolition on Wednesday. The next phase is expected to cover 80 structures in Shiv Nagar, where 117 families reside, and 55 structures in Shiv Darshan Nagar, where 72 families reside. Officials said the affected families are to be relocated under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
The action illustrates the administrative challenge of completing urban road projects where planned rights-of-way overlap with established settlements. In this case, road construction, municipal clearance, police deployment, judicial orders and housing rehabilitation are proceeding together rather than as separate processes. The immediate operation is therefore not only a road-widening exercise but also a relocation exercise involving households whose occupation of the alignment has delayed construction.
Once completed and opened, the RE-2 road is expected to provide a direct connection between Bhuri Tekri, Pipliyahana, Bengali Square and the Nayta Mundla RTO zone. Officials said the corridor will help ease congestion on major city routes. The next demolition phase is scheduled for Wednesday, after which the administration is expected to continue work on the remaining portion of the road.
