Forest department starts demolishing illegal structures in Pallikaranai marsh
As per forest department data, as much as 32 acres of marshland in Mahalakshmi Nagar, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, Quaid-E-Millath Nagar, Kamakshi Nagar, and K P Kandhan Nagar are encroached upon. As many as 1,085 illegal structures have been identified for eviction.
DTNEXT Bureau
Pallikaranai marshland
CHENNAI: The Forest Department, along with Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Revenue officials, demolished 70 houses that were encroaching upon Pallikaranai marshland on Friday.
VA Saravanan, district forest officer, said that eviction notices were issued to 70 families in Mahalakshmi Nagar a few days ago. Of the 70 families, as many as 47 families produced documents required for allocation of tenements in Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB), and allocation orders were issued to them.
"The 47 families will be resettled in Semmencheri tenements. If the remaining families produce the documents, including Aadhaar, they will also be given tenements," he explained.
Apart from 70 families in Mahalakshmi Nagar, eviction notices were issued to another 80 families in Dr. Ambedkar Nagar. The forest department will continue the eviction and demolition of remaining structures.
As per forest department data, as much as 32 acres of marshland in Mahalakshmi Nagar, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, Quaid-E-Millath Nagar, Kamakshi Nagar, and K P Kandhan Nagar are encroached upon. As many as 1,085 illegal structures have been identified for eviction.
Once the eviction drive is completed, the department will build a compound wall to ensure better protection for the marshland.
It may be noted that the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), in January, directed the government to evict illegal structures and retrieve marshland.
