A large number of residents in Maduravoyal were detained on Sunday for trying to remove what they termed unauthorised structures that had allegedly encroached on a part of the Cooum river.
The encroachment removal march was organised by Puratchi Manavar-Ilaignar Munnani (PMIM) and had called for support from residents in and around Maduravoyal who were affected by flooding due to encroachment on the river by a private educational institution.
‘Rampant encroachments’
Raja, secretary of PMIM, said that during the northeast monsoon last year, many areas from Adayalampattu to Nerukundram, near Maduravoyal, were affected by encroachment on the riverbed.
Residents and volunteers of the PMIM, who were proceeding towards the venue, were detained and kept at a Kalyana Mandapam in Nerkundram, but were released in the evening.
