Tambaram Municipality on Tuesday demolished more than 100 structures that had encroached on its property along Bharatha Matha Street, a crucial link to Grand Southern Trunk from East Tambaram.
The road links the Velachery Main Road with the Tambaram Sanatorium railway station and the Chitlapakkam Second Main Road and passes through residential localities of East Tambaram.
N.S.Prema, Tambaram Municipal Commissioner, said the length of the road under the municipality's jurisdiction was 1.17 km and 68 feet wide. However, its width was not more than 20 feet.
The occupants were informed well in advance about the move to bring down the structures. Ms. Prema said that among the structures demolished, there were nearly 75 houses. Work was in progress on the road over bridge under construction to replace the railway level crossing at Tambaram and the State Highways Department had demolished many houses and shops on either sides of Velachery Main Road in East Tambaram.
In the event of a traffic diversion on Velachery Main Road owing to the bridge work, vehicles would have to travel through Bharatha Matha Street to reach GST Road. Hence the structures were demolished to widen Bharatha Matha Street, she added.
V.Murugesan, Municipal Engineer, said that after widening, they would be handing over Bharatha Matha Street to the Highways Department. Other streets in Tambaram Municipality that were proposed to be handed over to the department for improving them include Gandhi Road, Rajaji Road, Kakkan and Suddhananada Bharathi Street (old GST Road). These stretches had been witnessing a phenomenal increase in traffic owing to the bridge work and also due to increased industrial growth in Oragadam.
On Tuesday morning, a section of residents attempted to block the road in a bid to prevent the demolition drive. However, they were pacified by police and municipal authorities.
