Remove encroachments from ORR lake, say Mudichur residents

CHENNAI: Residents living in Mudichur near the Outer Ring Road (ORR) lake want officials to free the waterbody of all encroachments, including a big temple. When TNIE visited this locality on Friday, it was submerged in water completely and the residents looked helpless. One of the major water catchment areas in the locality, the ORR lake, was brimming and overflowing water was entering the locality.

Residents blamed the flooding on encroachments. The lake’s size has shrunk and many felt they may have escaped flooding had the lake been protected. “The Nagavalli Amman temple came up a few years ago on the lake bund and it has been expanding into the lake over the years. Even in 2015, our locality did not submerge like this. This inundation is due to newer encroachments,” said P Vishwanathan, who lives in Mudichur. While one part of Mudichur near Varadarajapuram and beyond, got inundated badly, localities near the ORR did not face much flooding, except for isolated spots like the ones near the waterbody.

When TNIE visited the lake, it could witness the temple blocking the bunds and a portion of the temple encroaching the lake. Despite the encroachment, in normal times, hundreds of devotees throng the temple, said locals.

Members of Mudichur-ORR residents welfare associations said they would meet officials and present a petition to remove the encroachments. “After us, our next generations need to live here. We don’t want them to suffer,” said Padmanaban, who is part of the association.  Officials with the panchayat said the Revenue Department would look into the encroachment issues once the floodwater recedes.