Encroachments continue to choke pavements in Tambaram

Chennai: Every evening, Lakshmi, 62, of Pallavaram risks life and limb as she wades through parked bikes, food stalls and traffic to reach her home off GST Road. It's because there is no space left on the pavement for pedestrians, as encroachers have entrenched themselves along the 3-km stretch between Pallavaram and Chromepet. Despite repeated complaints, the problem persists.Two months ago, Tambaram Corporation announced a drive to remove encroachments and improve pedestrian pathways along a 12-km stretch of GST Road. However, residents say no visible action has been taken so far.S Aravind, an advocate and a resident of Pallavaram, said: "In the last three years, the shops on the main road have increased manifold. We requested data on registered vendors from the corporation; however, they said the data will not be disclosed. Many hawkers have ties with political party functionaries. Despite notices issued to evict, they never leave." M Gandhi, president of Pallavaram residents' welfare association, said: "The corporation must create vending and non-vending zones similar to how Greater Chennai Corporation did. Without that the issue will persist."Vendors claim many of these shops have been functioning for years and that payments are made to vendor associations. Officials said the process of marking vending and non-vending zones is ongoing and will be completed by the end of the year.A senior corporation official said notices were issued to at least 250 shops and establishments to evict. "Eviction drives were conducted earlier along with the traffic police, but vendors often return within a day or two. Necessary action will be taken at the earliest to remove the encroachments permanently."