Sri Vijaya Puram clears encroachments in Dairy Farm area
Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council (SVPMC) carried out an enforcement operation in the Dairy Farm locality of Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Municipal teams dismantled shop extensions, display racks and temporary stalls that had been placed on pedestrian paths and land reserved for public access.
The council said the action formed part of a continuing campaign focused on municipal infrastructure. Officials removed physical barriers, applied immediate financial penalties to non-compliant retailers and sought to restore movement through a busy mixed commercial and residential area.
The operation also targeted structures covering storm-water drains. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, roadside drainage channels are used in a high-rainfall environment. Municipal authorities said waste can accumulate where commercial slabs or kiosks cover the channels, reducing water flow and contributing to localised waterlogging during heavy monsoon conditions.
The Dairy Farm locality has an agricultural and administrative history. It was originally established for organised dairy cattle operations and veterinary facilities that supplied fresh milk to the island administration and local garrison. Over time, shops, food sellers and neighbourhood markets expanded in the area, which became a densely settled commercial and residential district.
According to the source, flooding in the locality has affected food retailers, milk-distribution outlets and vendors of agricultural produce. It has also created sanitation problems, interfered with vehicles involved in temperature-controlled deliveries and contributed to deterioration of road surfaces.
The Dairy Farm action followed other enforcement inspections in Sri Vijaya Puram in recent weeks. The council had warned shopkeepers, food businesses and residents not to place merchandise or other commercial structures on footpaths and road margins. It has also created channels for residents to report new drain obstructions and unauthorised construction to municipal officials.
The territory depends on transport links between ports and markets for the distribution of mainland dairy powder and UHT milk, as well as locally processed milk pouches supplied through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation. The municipal campaign was described in the source as part of efforts to keep these urban routes and drainage systems unobstructed.
