Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

No eviction until alternative sites identified

Special Correspondent

Collector, Mayor visit encroached areas along Sanganur Canal

FERVENT APPEAL: Residents plead with Collector S. Kosalaraman (far left) and Mayor T. Malaravan (second left) to drop the move to evict them from areas along the Sanganur Canal in the city on Tuesday. - Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

COIMBATORE: Residents living along Sanganur Canal in the city got an assurance from Collector S. Kosalaraman and Mayor T. Malaravan on Tuesday that the encroachments would be removed only after the people were provided with alternative sites to shift out.

The assurance during an inspection of the canal stretch between Rathinapuri and Singanallur sought to put to rest the row over the Coimbatore Corporation's move to evict encroachers. The civic body had issued notices to residents, asking them to vacate areas along the canal. These were served following the High Court's order to remove all encroachments in water bodies across the State.

What happened on Tuesday turned out to be a timely exercise for the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). If the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Opposition had been gearing up for a battle over this issue in the Corporation Council meeting on Wednesday (September 28), the visit by the Mayor and the assurance may well have saved him and the party from it. A DMK councillor even brought some residents to the North Zone office on September 21 to appeal to the Mayor to withdraw the eviction move. Then on, his party and other Opposition parties took turns in assailing the Corporation on the serving of eviction notice to residents, asking them to vacate in three days.

A day prior to the Council meeting, district administration and Corporation officials, led by the Collector, Mayor and Corporation Commissioner Anil Meshram brought down frayed tempers among the residents and sought to remove fears among them of an immediate eviction.

`A timely move'

An AIADMK member said this had effectively countered the campaign that was being built against the Corporation over the last week by the Opposition. It was a timely move, considering not only the Council meeting but also with the Assembly in session, he said.

Talking to The Hindu later, the Mayor took on the Opposition stating that it released exaggerated figures of the number of people facing eviction. The figure of 30,000 people put out by the Opposition was incorrect. It was only around 2,200 houses and maybe only half of these formed encroachments. So, there was no truth in the charge that thousands of families would be end up homeless, Mr. Malaravan said.

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