Trichy corporation acts tough on encroachments

Encroachments in front of 52 retail outlets in the close vicinity of Chathram Bus Terminal near SRC and St Joseph's colleges were removed on Wednesday evening by a corporation team led by assistant executive engineer Amuthavalli on the orders of assistant commissioner (Srirangam division), V Subbu.

The encroachments in front of the 10 x 10 feet corporation-owned outlets were razed to the ground as a number of earlier warnings had gone unheeded.

Most of the leased outlets are eateries and lay out tables in front of their shops, thus obstructing traffic especially during peak hours, inside the Chathram bus stand. Also, students from colleges and schools in the vicinity throng the bus stand in the evenings adding to the chaos. Assistant commissioner V Subbu told TOI that though the action was not planned, she swung into action when she came to know that the shop-keepers had disregarded a number of earlier warnings.

The corporation's new mayor A Jaya, had visited the area last week to gain a firsthand idea of what the bus stand was like, and had formally asked the shopkeepers to remove the encroachments, but to no avail.

Thanks to political patronage, the vicious cycle of the corporation removing encroachments, and the shop-keepers reverting to their old style of using about 5 to 8 feet of land in front of their shops, went on with clockwork precision. Even officials who tried to prevent the encroachments only ended up in upping the ante on protection money given to local politicians and their henchmen.

V Subbu said, "This is the final warning, and enough is enough. If the shopkeepers still do not behave, then their shops would be under lock and key and all the relevant Corporation Acts would be invoked to bring them to their senses."

She said most of the culprit outlets were eateries, and those who were selling fruits and other perishable items.