In yet another crackdown on encroachments, the Pallavaram Municipality retrieved a plot of land worth more than Rs.12 crore recently. The municipal officials removed a godown and a cultivation of plantains from the land, measuring 99 cents in Boopathi Nagar, Keelkattalai.
“When the municipality decided to dig a borewell and construct an overhead tank to enhance water supply, it found that the chosen plot of land was encroached upon," an official said.
The municipality decided to crack down on the private party after issuing him a notice asking him to remove the encroachments. When that did not happen, municipal officials prepared a plan to remove them at the civic body’s expense and executed it.
“Work will start soon,” said municipal commissioner S. Sivasubramanian.
He recollected that last month, the municipality was able to retrieve 2.29 acres, worth more than Rs. 35 crore, after a twenty-year court battle.
With their drive to reclaim their lands, the municipality has so far been able to retrieve property worth Rs. 47 crore within a month, according to municipal officials.
