The state highways department removed encroachments at Devarshola Bazaar village on the road connecting Udhagamandalam town to Kaikatty and Manjoor on Wednesday.
The highway connects around 30 small and relatively large villages in the district to Udhagamandalam, and over the last four decades, had been encroached upon by settlements near Devarshola.
Speaking to The Hindu, Assistant Divisional Engineer (State Highways department) G. Murugan said that more than 43 buildings had encroached on the road.
The encroachments include residences, shops, temples and even tea estates, that had, over the years, encroached on the main road.
“Because of the encroachments, there are multiple blind spots along the route, making them incredibly dangerous for motorists,” said Mr. Murugan.
Notices issued
The highways department had issued notices to people living in the buildings around ten days ago that the structures will be destroyed with heavy machinery and that the people will be evicted.
As a result, many of the 43 encroachments had already been abandoned, with people dismantling parts of the structures themselves, and earth diggers moving in to raze the structures to the ground on Wednesday.
Police were also posted to ensure that there were no untoward incidences. But highways department officials said that most people were prepared and cooperated with the eviction process.
