Buckingham eviction drive to begin in April

CHENNAI: As many as 1,200 houses and shops within 2.7 km distance of the Buckingham Canal will be removed in phase one of the encroachment eviction drive, Water Resources Department (WRD) said.

According to the department, the biometric process for the eviction drive near the canal will begin next month.

The Madras High Court in September 2022 had ordered the restoration of the canal within six months.

“From April, we will begin the eviction process from Sivananda road to Dr Radhakrishnan road. At present, 1,200 encroachments have been identified. Later, we would issue notices to the people, based on the house allocation by Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development (TNUHD). They will be rehabilitated within the given time,” said a senior WRD official.

The official stated that they would ask the residents and shop owners for their suggestions for the area to relocate.

More than 5,000 encroachments will be evicted near the Buckingham Canal, and the work will be carried out phase-wise. In Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram, the majority of the space has been encroached on by agricultural fields.

The boundary demarcation work has been completed and has been working on preliminary reports including Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS) and Detailed Project Report (DPR) by Anna University to get CRZ clearance for Buckingham canal restoration work.

“After the eviction drive, the eco-restoration project will begin. Various works such as desilting, bund strengthening, and fencing will be put on both sides, and compound wall construction will be done near the water body. In addition, to increase the greenery space near the canal, saplings will be planted,” stated the official.