CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has permitted the Southern Railway to proceed with removal of encroachments on the contentious 3.9-acre prime government land in Velachery worth over `150 crore, which was allotted by the State government 15 years ago for the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) project. One of the ‘encroachments’ that will have to be moved is a fish market constructed on a 20-cent land by an AIADMK member.
As an appellant association said that they did not have any grievance over the Railways removing encroachments on the remaining land, a division bench of Justice R Subbian and Justice P D Audikesavalu passed the interim order permitting the Railways to go ahead.
Taking cognisance of opposition faced by authorities in removing encroachments from the said land, the bench also directed the Joint Commissioner of Police, Adyar to provide police protection.
On February 23, a single judge dismissed ownership claims of 97 persons over 97 cents in the original 4.87 acres of land allotted to the Railways and directed the government to remove the encroachers, ending 25 years of ‘illegal occupation.’
The Southern Railway, however, has made repeated attempts to remove the encroachments with the help of revenue authorities, but faced stiff opposition from the encroachers.
While it was trying to get police protection to go ahead with the process, the 97 persons rallying behind the banner of the Annai Indira Gandhi Hut Dwellers Welfare Association, moved an appeal against the court order.
When the appeal came up for hearing, railway counsel PT Ramkumar, even while disputing the ownership claim of 97 persons, submitted that as an interim arrangement, the Railways may be permitted to remove encroachments in the remaining 3.9 acres excluding the 97 cents disputed by the association. However, he said the fish market constructed by an AIADMK member and his associates could be included.