2 days Ago By Ram Sundaram
1 2 3 Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has informed national green tribunal (NGT) that it is unable to proceed with clearing encroachments in Kathivakkam Thamaraikulam lake area of Thiruvottiyur due to life threats issued to its engineers during a recent eviction attempt. In its latest submission, the civic body stated that when officials led by assistant commissioner C Vijay Babu reached the spot to carry out the eviction on March 26, they were confronted by a mob of around 60 people. The group, led by a 48-year-old man named Riyas, threatened to harm the team and tried to obstruct the operation.
A complaint was filed the same day at Ennore police station, and an FIR was registered . The case pertains to a petition filed before NGT by K R Selvaraj, representing the interests of local fishermen, seeking the removal of all illegal constructions around Kathivakkam Thamaraikulam and the lake's restoration. The corporation earlier identified 31 encroachments and managed to remove 11 temporary and smaller structures.
The remaining 20 are permanent structures, including one and two-storied buildings. After the legal hurdles such as disposal of appeals before Madras high court, got cleared, GCC launched an eviction drive with support from Avadi police and revenue department on March 17. However, there were 57 school-going children among the encroaching families and this led to objections.
The residents claimed that forced eviction would disrupt annual exams of the children. Some even threatened self-immolation, forcing officials to conduct peace talks over the next three days. To address demands for free resettlement, GCC had proposed a revised plan where the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board would provide alternative tenements in Kargil Nagar, with the civic body covering two-thirds of the cost and residents bearing the rest.
Now, citing continued resistance and safety concerns, GCC has sought an additional 12 weeks from the tribunal to complete the eviction. Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has informed national green tribunal (NGT) that it is unable to proceed with clearing encroachments in Kathivakkam Thamaraikulam lake area of Thiruvottiyur due to life threats issued to its engineers during a recent eviction attempt. In its latest submission, the civic body stated that when officials led by assistant commissioner C Vijay Babu reached the spot to carry out the eviction on March 26, they were confronted by a mob of around 60 people.
The group, led by a 48-year-old man named Riyas, threatened to harm the team and tried to obstruct the operation. A complaint was filed the same day at Ennore police station, and an FIR was registered . The case pertains to a petition filed before NGT by K R Selvaraj, representing the interests of local fishermen, seeking the removal of all illegal constructions around Kathivakkam Thamaraikulam and the lake's restoration.
The corporation earlier identified 31 encroachments and managed to remove 11 temporary and smaller structures. The remaining 20 are permanent structures, including one and two-storied buildings. After the legal hurdles such as disposal of appeals before Madras high court, got cleared, GCC launched an eviction drive with support from Avadi police and revenue department on March 17.
However, there were 57 school-going children among the encroaching families and this led to objections. The residents claimed that forced eviction would disrupt annual exams of the children. Some even threatened self-immolation, forcing officials to conduct peace talks over the next three days.
To address demands for free resettlement, GCC had proposed a revised plan where the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board would provide alternative tenements in Kargil Nagar, with the civic body covering two-thirds of the cost and residents bearing the rest. Now, citing continued resistance and safety concerns, GCC has sought an additional 12 weeks from the tribunal to complete the eviction. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with EID Wishes , Messages and quotes !.
