The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ordered the Theni district administration to remove encroachment on the Bodinayakanur-Uthamapalayam Highways Road within eight weeks.
A division bench comprising Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice L. Victoria Gowri was hearing a petition filed by M. Paul Raj of Theni district.
The petition sought a direction to the authorities to issue a directive telling them to clear the area around the Bodinayakanur-Uthamapalayam Highways road of any encroachment.
The Assistant Executive Engineer of the Highways Construction and Maintenance in Uthamapalayam claimed in a counter affidavit that a notice was served on the encroachers.
However, they were opposed to the move, citing a nearby temple and going on a hunger strike.
Given the circumstances, the authorities decided to postpone the removal of encroachment for the time being.
The official gave an undertaking that the encroachment which was a hindrance to the public and leading to traffic congestion would be removed with adequate police protection within eight weeks.
“As it is the duty of the authorities to remove the encroachments obstructing traffic, the authorities took steps to remove the encroachments within eight weeks with adequate police protection,” the judges stated.
As a result, the court ordered the authorities to remove the encroachment within eight weeks after taking notice of the situation. The bench dismissed the petition and instructed the officials to seek police protection if necessary to remove the encroachment.
