TIRUPATTUR: Over 40 villagers of Alasanthapuram panchayat near Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur district staged a road blockade on Saturday and blocked a government bus, demanding the retrieval of 11 acres of government land that has allegedly been encroached upon by some individuals.
They insisted that the land be used to construct a school playground, a panchayat office building, and a godown - all of which have already been sanctioned and allocated a budget of around Rs 40 lakh.
The protest, which blocked the road and disrupted traffic for over two hours, led to heated arguments and mild scuffles between motorists and the villagers. Despite several petitions and a resolution passed by the panchayat to remove the encroachments, no action had been taken, pushing the villagers to resort to protest.
Revenue and police officials rushed to the spot, held talks with the villagers and assured them of immediate action to remove the encroachments. Following this assurance, the protest was called off and the villagers dispersed.