A total of 63 encroachments along the Garden Road here were removed by the Udhagamandalam Municipality on Friday.
The eviction drive was carried out amid tight police presence along with revenue officials.
Speaking to The Hindu, M. Gandhiraj, Municipal Commissioner, said that the encroachers were primarily street hawkers and temporary shops selling toys, tea and snacks to tourists visiting the Government Botanical Garden.
The district administration and the municipality had been issuing warnings to the shopkeepers and street hawkers along the Garden Road not to occupy the footpath, officials said.
The encroachments were not only inconveniencing pedestrians, but were also hampering crowd control efforts and hindering traffic flow along the road during the peak tourist season, said civic officials.
Another reason for expediting the removal of the encroachments was a recent accident that happened near the Ooty bus stand, when an elderly person died after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. Officials said that the victim had failed to see the vehicle due to encroachments along the roadside.
Mr. Gandhiraj said that encroachments were being removed near the bus stand, along the main-bazaar road and other areas in a phased manner. “We have also identified three sites where we will allot space for the shopkeepers and street hawkers who have been evicted, so that their livelihoods are not affected,” he said.
Officials said that the removal of the encroachments would also ensure that the stretch is more aesthetically pleasing to the visitors to the district.
