The Hindu 04.02.2010
Nandhi Kovil Street encroachments removed
Special Correspondent
| Eviction succeeds after three decades of efforts |
DOWNED: Corporation men and machines engaged in removing the encroachments along Nandhi Kovil Street in Tiruchi on Wednesday.
TIRUCHI: About 11 roadside shops _ all encroachments _ occupying vantage space for several years in the city’s prime commercial area on the Nandhi Kovil Street were removed by the Tiruchi Corporation amid tight security here on Wednesday.
Civic body sources said that some shopkeepers had been occupying the public space, along the famous Teppakulam of the Rockfort Thayumanaswamy Temple, for nearly three decades and efforts at evicting them down the years had failed.
A High Court directive to evict the encroachments issued a few years back was also pending execution, official sources said.
On Wednesday, a team of Corporation officials under the supervision of Executive Engineer S.Arunachalam and Assistant Executive Engineer N.Balaguranathan descended on the scene to remove the shops using men and machines. Nine fruit stalls, a tea shop and a garment shop were removed.
The move comes after the recent decision of the Corporation to do away with the parking lot along Nandhi Kovil Street following public representations stating that the parking were hindering traffic movement.
There have been persistent demands from civic and consumer organisations for removing the shops located towards the end of the Nandhi Kovil Road-NSB Road junction.
“This has been our long felt need and we congratulate the Corporation authorities for removing the encroachments now,” observed S.Pushpavanam, Secretary, Consumer Protection Council, Tamil Nadu.
The Corporation should continue the drive and remove all encroachments in other parts of the city, he said.
