Shops encroach upon KK Nagar road, reduce it to half the width
Commuters Suffer As Civic Body Sits On Eviction Process
Shruti.Suresh@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.06.2019
PV Rajamannar Salai in KK Nagar has at least 14 shops encroaching upon its 80ft wide carriageway, reducing it to just half its width. The road is a vital link for residents of KK Nagar and Ashok Nagar to areas along Arcot Road, and groans under choking traffic during peak hours.
“Instead of going all the way to Vadapalani signal and inching through the traffic on Arcot Road, several people enter Rajamannar Salai from Jawaharlal Nehru Salai (to reach Virugambakkam, Saligramam, Valasaravakkam and surroundings). Corporation is sitting on its plan to evict these people instead of removing the encroachments,” said V Gopalakrishnan, a civic activist from K K Nagar.
Gopalakrishnan added that there were more than eight structures encroaching upon MGR Canal along Ramaswamy Salai, the road parallel to Rajamannar Salai. “These structures, which include a few houses, let out sewage into the canal but no action has been taken by the corporation despite complaints,” he said.
“Rajamannar Salai’s original width was more than 100ft. It is clearly visible how much space the shops have taken. If the corporation clears encroachments, traffic flow can become better,” said another resident of the area.
In 2016, the city corporation wrote to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, urging it to allot alternate shop floors to the encroaching vendors so the civic body can pull down the structures.
TOI accessed the letters, addressed to the managing director, TNSCB, seeking to relocate the encroachments (then 12 commercial establishments) along Rajamannar Salai and the adjacent Ramaswamy Salai (six commercial and residential structures).
While civic body officials from ward 131 tried to dismiss it saying they were awaiting allocation orders from TNSCB, a senior TNSCB official said based on the corporation’s request, eligible encroachers had been identified for alternate settlement.
“We identified14 encroaching shops on Rajamannar Salai. We have written at least three letters to the corporation saying that10 of the14 vendors are eligible for resettlement, and that allotment orders are ready. The civic body could have gone ahead with the eviction process,” said a TNSCB official. Officials from the zone later said there was a recent discussion on the issue and that the eviction process will be started. “We will register biometrics to identify the vendors and hand over allotment orders,” said an official.
NO FREE FLOW: Traffic swamps Rajamannar Salai during peak hours
Commuters Suffer As Civic Body Sits On Eviction Process
Shruti.Suresh@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.06.2019
PV Rajamannar Salai in KK Nagar has at least 14 shops encroaching upon its 80ft wide carriageway, reducing it to just half its width. The road is a vital link for residents of KK Nagar and Ashok Nagar to areas along Arcot Road, and groans under choking traffic during peak hours.
“Instead of going all the way to Vadapalani signal and inching through the traffic on Arcot Road, several people enter Rajamannar Salai from Jawaharlal Nehru Salai (to reach Virugambakkam, Saligramam, Valasaravakkam and surroundings). Corporation is sitting on its plan to evict these people instead of removing the encroachments,” said V Gopalakrishnan, a civic activist from K K Nagar.
Gopalakrishnan added that there were more than eight structures encroaching upon MGR Canal along Ramaswamy Salai, the road parallel to Rajamannar Salai. “These structures, which include a few houses, let out sewage into the canal but no action has been taken by the corporation despite complaints,” he said.
“Rajamannar Salai’s original width was more than 100ft. It is clearly visible how much space the shops have taken. If the corporation clears encroachments, traffic flow can become better,” said another resident of the area.
In 2016, the city corporation wrote to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, urging it to allot alternate shop floors to the encroaching vendors so the civic body can pull down the structures.
TOI accessed the letters, addressed to the managing director, TNSCB, seeking to relocate the encroachments (then 12 commercial establishments) along Rajamannar Salai and the adjacent Ramaswamy Salai (six commercial and residential structures).
While civic body officials from ward 131 tried to dismiss it saying they were awaiting allocation orders from TNSCB, a senior TNSCB official said based on the corporation’s request, eligible encroachers had been identified for alternate settlement.
“We identified14 encroaching shops on Rajamannar Salai. We have written at least three letters to the corporation saying that10 of the14 vendors are eligible for resettlement, and that allotment orders are ready. The civic body could have gone ahead with the eviction process,” said a TNSCB official. Officials from the zone later said there was a recent discussion on the issue and that the eviction process will be started. “We will register biometrics to identify the vendors and hand over allotment orders,” said an official.
NO FREE FLOW: Traffic swamps Rajamannar Salai during peak hours
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