The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Road roko against encroachment

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Saturday, Sep 18, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Road roko against encroachment

Staff Reporter

TIRUVANNAMALAI: Residents of Chettikulamedu, Pa.Vu.Sa. Nagar resorted to sudden road blockade on Friday to oppose the move by some private persons to obstruct and occupy end part of a rivulet from Tiruvannamalai hill just before it mingles with a channel in Vellore road here.

People who blocked Vellore road near Manthoppu argued that a bus owner claiming title to a land adjacent to the rivulet levelled the land and rivulet itself and started raising basement leaving no space for stream to drain or sewage from adjacent buildings to flow out.

Lakshmi Amma, a participant in the road roko, claimed that the stream originates in Nandhivai Theertham in the hill and the attempt to encroach the rivulet was there for quite some time. “We have made complaints to revenue authorities several times. Though the attempt stalled at times they start the work again. When they started work this morning they promised us to leave some space to the rivulet to pass and mingle with the channel on the road but betrayed us,” she said.

Narayanamurthi, another participant said that though there were encroachments all along the rivulet the contentious encroacher attempts to construct abruptly across it, making life harder for those houses along the upstream.

“Now police have arrested some of us but we would organise even bigger struggles,” he added.

Police led by Town inspector Gunasekaran, first chased away the crowd from Vellore road and then arrested five of them.

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