Following a Supreme Court directive, Sirukulam irrigation tank was cleared of all encroachments on Thursday. The district administration demolished 75 houses, a temple and an anganwadi centre. Only a government-run hostel building for girls was spared.
After the eviction of all major commercial buildings in October 2016, residents who lost their case in the apex court offered little resistance except for voicing a demand for alternative dwelling units.
On Thursday, over half a dozen bulldozers razed down the residential buildings under the supervision of Sivakasi Sub-Collector Amar Kushwaha.
A huge posse of police personnel, led by the District Superintendent of Police, M. Rajarajan, were posted along the banks of the tank for security.
In a statement, Collector, A. Sivagnanam, said the encroachers volunteered to give up their houses and efforts were on to provide them with alternative houses.
A recent petition filed by 41 residents against the eviction was dismissed by the Supreme Court, which came down heavily on the State Government, Mr Waha said. “The bone of contention was the commerical buildings. After they were removed, the residents volunteered to vacate their houses.”
“On April 24, the Supreme Court gave the district administration a week’s time to remove all 41 houses,” Mr. Rajarajan added.
Besides the 41 families, an additional 24 too opted for alternative accommodation.
The Adi-Dravida hostel for girls would be soon shifted to an alternative site and the building would be demolished. People had been living in the houses constructed in the tank for at least three decades.
Sivakasi Tax Payers’ Association had gone to the Supreme Court, seeking the removal of all encroachments.
Mr. Kushwaha said a proposal for a walkers park with fencing around the tank to prevent fresh encroachments would be sent to the State government.
