Encroachments on either side of Marudhamalai Road for nearly 1.5 km in Pappanaickenpudur area were removed during a mass cleaning exercise on Wednesday.
The Corporation authorities are conducting mass cleaning operations in one or two wards every day.
One of these was organised in ward numbers 21 and 15 on Wednesday, and was inspected by Mayor S.M. Velusamy, Corporation Commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy, Deputy Commissioner S. Sivarasu, West Zone Chairman Savithri Parthiban and a host of other officials.
When the Corporation officials started clearing the storm water drains on either side to ensure free flow of water during the monsoon season, they found encroachments protruding onto the platforms over the storm water drains.
Officials made it clear that the encroachments ought to be removed. The majority of the residents and shop keepers who had put up temporary structures to have parking facility and small shops came forward and removed the encroachments on their own.
In places where the house owners or shop owners refused to remove the encroachments, the official machinery stepped in and cleared the obstructions.
It may be recalled that during similar mass cleaning drives in the past, officials took possession of encroached Corporation lands in Ramanathapuram and Kavundampalayam area.
Mr.Ponnusamy said that the mass cleaning drive was not only helping in cleaning up the area but also in taking up the much-required desilting works of drains and canals and also taking possession of property that had been encroached upon.
