Chennai: Kancheepuram district continues to suffer major encroachments due to lack of regular eviction and civic staff.
The situation is such that several posts ranging from municipal commissioners, engineers and field staff are lying vacant in Tambaram, Pallavaram and Chengalpet municipalities.
The post of municipal commissioner in Tambaram municipality is lying vacant for the past five months. With the monsoon and the local body polls approaching, lack of staff is an issue affecting the encroachment drive.
All the main roads connecting Tambaram including the arterial GST road and Shamugha road suffer encroachments and it is more than six months since the municipal authorities conducted an eviction drive in the locality, said Chandra Sekhar, a state government employee.
While the local bodies are reluctant to act against the road side encroachments, the Public Works Department the custodian of lakes in the district is now a sleeping giant against the encroachers in water bodies.
After December deluge, public works department issued showcause notices to encroachers, but till date no action taken against encroachers. All the water bodies located in Pallikaranai, Peerkangaranai, Sembakkam, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Tambaram and Chengalpet suffer encroachments, an informed revenue official said.
“Immediately after last year’s December deluge, the Kancheepuram collectorate was on an eviction spree. However, no action is seen now, ahead of northeast monsoon. Water bodies like Pallavaram lake, Keelkattalai lake and Tiruneermalai lake, which still has some life, could be cleared from encroachments and desilted so that the flooding does not recur,” said V. Santhanam, social activist.
When contacted a senior official in Tambaram municipality admitted that road side encroachments in Tambaram has increased in the recent past. Whenever the encroachments are cleared there are resistance from local lawyers and politicians insisting the local body provide alternate livelihood for traders and hawkers as per the recent Supreme Court order.
Currently, there is no alternate rehabilitation programme. On encroachments in water bodies the official said they came under the purview of PWD. But PWD officials were not available for comment.
