The Thanjavur Corporation officials who embarked on an encroachment eviction drive to retrieve “Rani Vaikkal” on Tuesday suspended the exercise for a day as a small group of encroachers pleaded time to vacate their houses.
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The eviction drive was part of the initiative for the restoration of “Rani Vaikkal”, a flood drain channel originating at V.O.C. Nagar area and culminating at “Azhagi Kulam” and the moat situated on the northern bank of the Grand Anicut Canal in the town, taken up by the civic body under the Smart City Project at a cost of ₹ 4 crore.
While the first part of the channel between V.O.C.Nagar to the southern bank of GA Canal had been completed, notices were issued to the encroachers on the other side of the canal last year asking them to vacate the buildings that have come up on the erstwhile canal.
Some of the encroachers had resisted with the hope that their plea for an alternative site would be fulfilled.
When the officials began the demolition drive on Tuesday, they staged a demonstration near the Aathupalam demanding that their plea for an alternative site be fulfilled before razing down their houses. However, the officials gave them a 12-hour grace period to get their belongings moved to a safe place before the resumption of the demolition drive on Wednesday.