The Pallavaram municipality retrieved a piece of land belonging to it, after a 20-year court battle, and a judgment in its favour.
The current market value of the land measuring 2.29 acres is more than Rs. 30 crore, according to municipal officials.
Municipal workers pulled down at least three portions of encroachments from the site on Friday, and the drive was smooth as it was initiated as per the Court directive.
The Madras High Court had earlier dismissed a writ petition filed by a group of encroachers claiming ownership for the land. Further, it directed the municipal commissioner of Pallavaram municipality to ensure removal of the encroachments from the land.
The land was reserved for developing a children’s playground in 1994. Recalling the struggle, municipal commissioner S. Sivasubramanian said the land was misused by encroachers over the past 20 years. The municipality intends to put up a wired fence over the next few days to prevent encroachments from sprouting up again.
Pallavaram MLA P. Dhansingh, municipal chairman K.M.R. Nissar Ahmed, and vice-chairman D. Jayaprakash have asked for the playground to be developed without delay.
