Chennai: Tension
prevailed at Gandhi nagar slum in Sathyamurthy nagar, as a group of
corporation officials reached the spot to remove a few houses,
identifying them as encroachments.

The residents, however,
prevented the officials from removing all the encroached structures and
only five huts were removed from the place. The civic body has given the
violators two days to remove the encroachments.

A corporation
field official explained that the do not intend remove the concrete
houses but only 15 huts which hinder vehicle movement into the slum.
“The move was executed only after the residents complained of the
trouble caused by these structures,” the official said, observing that
an ambulance could hardly reach the spot during an emergency.
But the local residents say the action was taken following the minister’s visit to the area a few weeks back.

“The
minister and MLA, while entering the area in their cars, found the road
too narrow to move on. The drive this morning could be a follow up of
the inconvenience the politicians faced,” said a resident who was not
willing to reveal his name.

The corporation has offered to
construct new houses at other places, demolishing the older ones. But
the residents claim that changing their area once again would affect
their businesses in every aspect.

But the locals have many other
reasons to worry about. “Our area stinks of garbage and just behind and
in front of the school, garbage piles up. How could the children read
well and be healthy if the stench keeps hitting them?” fumed R. Abi, a
local resident.

She noted that the conservancy workers rarely turn
up at the area. “The corporation acts quickly if it wants to trouble us
like what happened this day”. But if it is called to remove garbage or
provide water, no one turns up,” said Andrew, another resident.

Warning boards put up

Chennai:
To prevent encroachments and land grabbing, Kancheepuram district
officials on Wednesday installed new warning boards to protect sprawling
368 acres of unassessed (poromboke) land at Maraimalai Nagar, near
Chengalpet.

Revenue divisional officer Chellappa said, earlier
this year, there were a few complaints against private parties
encroaching the poromboke land and steps were taken to reclaim the land.

There
were also farmers doing farming on the 368 acres. Recently, 26 acres of
poromboke land, fenced by a private educational institution, was also
reclaimed. Collector Chit­rasenan passed orders in this regard and the
drive will continue, he said.