TN faces contempt of court for failure to evict encroachments on the bank of Buckingham Canal

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The delay in removal of encroachments put up at Elango Street and Raja
Annamalaipuram abutting Buckingham Canal has put the state housing
department in a legal dilemma.



It is learnt that the housing secretary of state housing board has
been forced to file a counter affidavit in Supreme Court as ‘Contempt
of Court’ charges were levelled against the housing department for
failing to remove the encroachments.



The case had come up for hearing on July 10 and the Supreme court has
granted two weeks time to file the counter, sources said.



Sources in Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board said that the the
encroachments are on the Public Works Department land and a legal
tussle started from 2006 onwards where in a private party wanted the
encroachments to be removed.



After Madras High Court directed the district collector in Chennai to
evict the encroachers within three months and give a compliance
report, the residents of Elango Nagar represented by Selvam filed a
petition challenging the order.



It was on 2011, Supreme Court stated that the 625 families which has
encroached on the embankments of the canal should be rehabilitated to
alternate housing, once the houses are constructed in Okkium
Thoraipakkam by Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance board..



Interestingly, the 625 tenements at Okiyum Thoraipakkam have been
completed and allotment orders have been handed over to the PWD, said
the slum clearance board source.

However, PWD accepted 366 allotment orders and returned 259 allotment
orders stating that there has been heavy resistance from the
encroachers in taking their thumb impression.



The issue is that the people will lose their present livelihood and
their children will have to be admitted to a new school at a new place
and it may be difficult to obtain admission in a suitable school the
PWD, Chennai Corporation and district collector are finding it
difficult to evict them slum clearance board sources said.



It is learnt that a meeting was held on July 2 with PWD officials,
Chennai Corporation and district collector where in it was decided to
issue notices to encroachers and seek services of local people’s
representatives and NGOs to persuade the people to shift to the
tenements to Okiyum Thoraipakkam, sources said.