Chennai: Coming down heavily on the encroachment culture in the city, Madras high court said neither courts nor officials should show any leniency to them.
A division bench comprising Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice K Rajasekar, disposing of a writ petition seeking removal of encroachments in three streets of Rajan Nagar in Injambakkam, also directed the Chennai corporation to evict the encroachers within eight weeks, with police assistance, if necessary, and utilise the lands for public purposes.
After perusing the encroachment scenario at Hanuman Colony on Vettuvankani Link Road in Injambakkam, the judges said the status report filed by the corporation commissioner revealed that the govt land and corporation roads were under encroachment, causing inconvenience to people. The right to use the public road is also blocked due to large-scale encroachments in that area, it said.
Court recorded the submission of standing counsel P Prithivi Chopda, who said notices were issued under the Urban Local Bodies Act to the encroachers, providing them with an opportunity to vacate the premises and hand over the vacant possession to the authorities.
The court recalled its order of Dec 2024, in which it said the petitioners, being landless poor, are at liberty to submit an application to the TNUHDB to seek accommodation in any one of the available projects. The court said the encroachers are not entitled to any further leniency from the hands of this court.