Villagers protest against eviction

FOR COIMBATORE 08/07/2010: Drawing Attention: Residents of Vadavalli near Sulur thronging the Collector's camp office in Race Course on Thursday morning protesting against the move to evict them from the government land. PHOTO S.SIVA SARAVANAN

Irate residents of Vadavalli village in Sultanpet Union of Sulur Taluk on Thursday thronged the Collector's camp office protesting against the move to evict them from their dwelling units on a land.

The land is said to be a panchami land while there is also a claim by a local landlord that it belonged to him.

Resistance

On Wednesday, the residents resisted the efforts of the authorities to evict them by blocking the earth movers and staged a road blockade.

They were shifted to a kalyana mandapam and released in the evening.

However on Thursday, the residents thronged the Collector's camp office demanding that they should not be evicted and presented a petition stating that a local landlord was influencing the authorities and covering up the “fact” that the poromboke land had been encroached upon by him.

They also accused the landlord of resorting to ill-treatment of people belonging to the listed communities.

Collector P. Umanath met the representatives and referred the issue to the Revenue Divisional Officer to inquire and render justice.