VILLUPURAM: Forty-four houses built on land belonging to the Railways in Villupuram were demolished on Wednesday, following a directive from the Madras High Court.
According to official sources, the houses were constructed along Power House Road near the old Muthumari Amman temple, where several families had been living for decades.
In 2022, the owner of a private industrial firm located nearby filed a petition in the Madras High Court, alleging that the encroachments along the roadside were blocking access to his factory. After hearing the case, the court, in January 2024, ordered the district administration to remove both the temple and the houses built on railway property.
Following the court order, the district and railway administrations issued several eviction notices, giving residents sufficient time to vacate. On March 31 this year, the district administration allotted house-site pattas for three cents of land each to 42 families at Thiruppachanur village. The Muthumari Amman temple in the area was demolished on April 11.
As residents continued to occupy the houses, the railway department announced that demolition would take place on Wednesday. Around 7 am, six earthmovers were deployed, and the demolition was carried out in the presence of Villupuram Revenue Divisional Officer U Murugesan, taluk officials, and Municipal Commissioner M R Vasanthi. Railway officials supervised the operation, during which all 44 houses were razed.
Most residents had shifted their belongings the previous night. Several were seen in tears as their houses were torn down.
M Jayalakshmi, a resident, said, “We have lived here for more than six decades and have all government documents in this address. Though officials say we have been given plots, many of us have not even seen the allotted land. The site has not been measured or marked. Where will we go now?”
Another resident, K Gangadevi, said, “Most of us are daily wage labourers. Officials assured us that houses would be ready before eviction, but not a single brick has been laid.”
A railway official said, “Alternative housing plots have been provided, and sufficient time was given to vacate. The demolition was carried out in compliance with the Madras High Court’s order.”
Over 150 police personnel, including senior officers, were deployed for security during the operation. A fire and rescue vehicle and a Vajra vehicle were also stationed at the site as precautionary measures.
