CHENNAI: Chennai Corporation on Friday removed encroachments on the Victoria Public Hall premises ahead of the heritage building's restoration. However, the exercise had to be stopped in the evening after traders got a status quo order from the Madras high court.

Justice Prabha Sridevan and Justice KK Sasidaran directed the advocate commissioner to file a report on the status of the property as on Friday, following the submission made by the senior counsel appearing for shop owners that valuables still remain in the shop and they were forcibly evicted. The case was adjourned for Monday.

The high court had on Wednesday permitted the local body to evict 32 shops from the premises. Traders approached the court, after the corporation's land and estate department served them notices in August, giving them seven days to move out. It will help restoration of the heritage structure under the centre's flagship urban infrastructure upgradation programme, JNNURM, at a cost of Rs 3.23 crore.

About 150 police personnel, led by deputy of police (Kilpauk) AT Duraikumar provided security, while corporation officials came with an army of staff, besides ten bull dozers, loaders and lorries. The personnel had a tough time chasing away onlookers, some of who tried to take away the mangled remains.

The VP Hall was designed by Robert Fellows Chisholm and built between 1888 and 1890. The civic agency leased out 3.14 acres of land (approx 57 grounds) to the VP Hall Trust Board in the People's Park for 99 years from April 1, 1886. Even as the the lease of the VP Hall Trust Board expired in 1985, the lease was not renewed in favour of the board. Also, being a lessee, the trust board has no power to sub-let it to a third party (traders).

"That is why we directed SIAA and traders to vacate the premises at once," officials said. Though South Indian Athletic Association (SIAA) was occupying the premises for more than three decades, conducting its sporting and clubbing activities, traders had spread out on five grounds of the sprawling premises without official sanction.

CHENNAI: For the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), the 15 cm rainfall on Thursday has helped store water enough for five days of supply.

According to CMWSSB officials, on Friday, the four reservoirs together witnessed an increase of 146 million cubic feet (mcft) compared to Thursday's level. While on Thursday the storage level was 3,246 mcft, on Friday it was 3392 mcft.

But the catch is that, rainfall was high only in the Chembarambakkam reservoir. The catchment area received 80 mm of rain on Thursday and a total inflow of 1377 cubic foot per second (cusec). The other three had very little rainfall Poondi- 15 mm, Cholavaram-8 mm and Red Hills -11 mm.

"As the level in Chembarambakkam has increased, we diverted 400 cusecs to Red Hills reservoir," said a senior CMWSSB official.

But despite the heavy rainfall, the combined level of all the four reservoirs is just half the level seen on the same date last year. The level is nearly 2,677 mcft lesser than the 6,069 mcft recorded on the same day last year. "This year during October, the rains were not sufficient enough. The monthly average rainfall in the Red Hills, Cholavaram and Poondi was only 86 mm. Hence the level is low. But we will be receiving Krishna water till January and we hope to derive the maximum from the rains," said the official.

Meanwhile, Regional Meteorological department officials state that though the 150mm rainfall was good enough, it was not the best. "There are days when we have received 120 mm in just two hours," said the official.