Temples untouched in Vellore during encroachment clearance drive

Collector B Kumaravel Pandian after inspecting Kaundanya river, which flows through the middle of Gudiyattam town, said that all encroachments on the banks would be removed and the families would be relocated. “Nearly 800 houses are under construction at a new site and the evicted families will be shifted there,” he said. But, the moot point is whether encroachers will move to another location outside the town as all are daily wage workers. 

What intrigues everyone is the silence of the Collector over a Hanuman statue and temple on the river bed. Asked if this too would be removed, he told DT Next, “I am yet to take a call on this. My first job is to move those living in encroached areas on the banks to safety and then based on public feedback I will act.” 

This has raised eyebrows as a recent High Court order clearly states that encroachments on water bodies should be removed. Some Gudiyattam residents, who refused to identify themselves, said, “the temple in question does not affect anybody as not many visit it.” 

In Vellore, there was a similar dispute over a temple being built in Murukeri irrigation tank near Ariyur. 

When asked about this issue, Vellore District Consumer Federation president K Sathiyamoorthy said, “officials can easily remove all encroachments from water bodies citing the High Court order. However, they might not want to act on temples to avoid bad name for the ruling dispensation.”