Several shop signs in the integrated market of Pingdingshan Railway Station in Henan province were damaged by a hook machine at night. Local officials refused to disclose the identity of the person who removed the signs of the shops. This incident has sparked discussions and raised questions.
Netizens posted videos showing that on the night of February 22, someone drove a hook machine inside the market of Pingdingshan Railway Station in Henan province to remove the shop signs.
According to a report by “JiMu News” on February 23, some shop owners in the integrated market of Pingdingshan Railway Station stated that the market had been operating for many years. The authorities allowed market vendors to move to a new market, and most of them have relocated, but some shops have not yet moved. The damage seems to be targeted at the signs of the shops that have already moved, but the signs of some shops that have not moved were also destroyed.
Shop owners who have already relocated to the new market mentioned that they had heard about the removal of shop signs using a hook machine on the night of the 22nd, but they were unaware of the specific details.
According to relocation notices issued locally, Zhanhe district decided to close, relocate, and dismantle the integrated market of Pingdingshan Railway Station. The relocation targets all vendors in the integrated market of Pingdingshan Railway Station, with the relocation period from February 13 to February 28, 2025. On March 1, 2025, the market will close and demolition will commence.
Following the above notice, the closure and demolition of the Railway Station integrated market are scheduled for March 1. Why were the shop signs dismantled ahead of time?
Staff from the Nanhuan Road Subdistrict Office said that on the morning of February 23, some shop owners came to the office to report the incident. They stated that the primary goal on the night of the 22nd was to remove the signs of the shops that had already moved, but during the process, “the hook machine may have mistakenly removed the signs of a few shops that hadn’t relocated.” The identity of the individuals dismantling the shop signs was not confirmed by the office staff.
This incident has attracted attention and trended online. The key points of focus include whether the dismantling action was in compliance, whether the signs of shops that had not been relocated were mistakenly removed during relocation, and whether the shop owners have the right to demand compensation.
Questions about the identity and responsibility of the relocation party: Was the dismantling action arranged by the authorities or carried out by other third-party construction units? Was there proper notification and coordination?
Some netizens believe that the response from the local subdistrict office about the shop owners’ queries was vague, failing to clearly specify the individuals responsible for the dismantling and whether any mistakes occurred.
User “FoxinDu” commented: Taking “confusion in difficulties” to the extreme. Since it’s already been dismantled, they say it wasn’t their arrangement. I don’t believe they can repair it now.
User “FinanceStart1” questioned: Why dismantle shop signs at night?
Netizen “Wanderer2004” jokingly remarked: The hook machine must take the blame.
User “SilentWriter” responded: The hook machine accidentally caught the signs of several shops, hahaha.