The Hindu       10.02.2015   

Encroachments removed in Thanjavur

Civic body officials launched a major encroachment
removal exercise to clear illegal occupation of roadsides on four major
streets here on Monday.

Officials led by Commissioner
T. Kumar started removing encroachments including shops and commercial
establishments on West Main Street.

Those
constructions, temporary and permanent, that were posing hindrance to
public and vehicular traffic movement were pulled down and debris loaded
on waiting trucks that carted them away.

Collector
N. Subbaiyan had issued a directive to the local body officials to
remove all encroachments on four major thoroughfares – West Main Street,
East Main Street, North Main Street and South Main Street – sometime
back. The move is possibly linked to the plan for a trial run of the new
temple car for Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple soon.

Irked
by constant clogging of main thoroughfares including Raja Mirasdar
Hospital Road and Old Bus Stand area, public had urged the
administration to remove encroachments on road margins that hindered
free flow of traffic.

While pedestrians found it
difficult to move around, motorists could only wade through the milling
crowds pushed to the middle by the occupiers of the road margins.

Welcoming
the encroachment removal drive, activists stressed the need to prevent
cropping up of fresh illegal occupations. “It’s good that the
encroachments are being removed.

The officials must
not make a half-hearted attempt but must go the full distance in
clearing the roads of all obstacles overcoming any impediment,” points
out former president of the District Chamber of Commerce and Industry K.
Padmanabhan. He adds that the effort would fully benefit the public
only when the officials prevent encroachments from coming up again after
some time.

Collector had asked the civic body on encroachments

Eviction drive taken up on four streets near the Big temple