‘Taken step to provide accommodations for Bethel Nagar encroachers’

CHENNAI: The Revenue department on Monday informed the Madras High Court that it has taken steps to provide alternative accommodation to 1,436 encroachers of Bethel Nagar in Injambakkam, Chennai at a cost of Rs 38 crore.

When the matter was taken by the first bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N Mala, R Manisekar, tahsildar, of Sholinganallur Taluk submitted that the State has requested the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) to people who encroached on lands that were classified as marshlands in the Bethel Nagar area of Injambakkam, Chennai.

“The government had made an initial payment of nine crore rupees to the TNUHDB. Besides, the government has been requested to provide an additional sum of Rs.29 crore in this regard, ” the action-taken report of tahsildar read.

The officer further informed the HC that the TNUHDB has informed his office that they made 926 houses ready for accommodating 926 encroachers and stated that the remaining 510 accommodations would be made ready by the end of December 2022.

“All the 1,436 encroachers shall be accommodated during December 2022,” the department informed the court.

Recording these submissions, the high court adjourned the matter by a week directing the authorities to give the report to the petitioner.

The case is pertaining to a contempt petition filed by one IH Sekar who wanted to take action against the officers who failed to adhere to the direction of the HC directing them to remove people who made constructions in the marshlands in Injambakkam.

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