Meerut, Sept. 16 -- Bulldozers rolled into Meerut's Shastri Nagar Central Market on Wednesday morning as the Uttar Pradesh Housing Board (Awas Vikas Parishad), backed by heavy police deployment, began demolition of buildings involved in a long-running dispute over the alleged commercial use of residential properties.

Six of the 44 properties covered by the Supreme Court's July 14 order were demolished on Wednesday, days before the matter is scheduled to come up before the apex court on September 21; the authorities are required to submit a compliance report on the demolition action.

The Central Market and adjoining areas turned into a virtual fortress early on Wednesday, with police barricading major entry points and restricting movemen...