Civic body officials launched a major encroachment removal exercise to clear illegal occupation of roadsides on four major streets here on Monday.
Officials led by Commissioner T. Kumar started removing encroachments including shops and commercial establishments on West Main Street.
Those constructions, temporary and permanent, that were posing hindrance to public and vehicular traffic movement were pulled down and debris loaded on waiting trucks that carted them away.
Collector N. Subbaiyan had issued a directive to the local body officials to remove all encroachments on four major thoroughfares - West Main Street, East Main Street, North Main Street and South Main Street - sometime back. The move is possibly linked to the plan for a trial run of the new temple car for Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple soon.
Irked by constant clogging of main thoroughfares including Raja Mirasdar Hospital Road and Old Bus Stand area, public had urged the administration to remove encroachments on road margins that hindered free flow of traffic.
While pedestrians found it difficult to move around, motorists could only wade through the milling crowds pushed to the middle by the occupiers of the road margins.
Welcoming the encroachment removal drive, activists stressed the need to prevent cropping up of fresh illegal occupations. “It’s good that the encroachments are being removed.
The officials must not make a half-hearted attempt but must go the full distance in clearing the roads of all obstacles overcoming any impediment,” points out former president of the District Chamber of Commerce and Industry K. Padmanabhan. He adds that the effort would fully benefit the public only when the officials prevent encroachments from coming up again after some time.
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