DHARMAPURI: Residents of Eriyur staged a protest condemning roadside encroachments around the bus stand. Locals claimed that despite the town panchayat issuing a notice and clearing the encroachments, they were back on Saturday, causing severe traffic disruptions.
The Eriyur bus stand was constructed nearly six years ago but shops have not been opened to the public. This has resulted in many roadside pushcart vendors selling bottled water, tea, and other commodities.
Enraged residents filed multiple petitions seeking the closure of these shops. The Eriyur town panchayat had also issued notices to these shops urging them to shut down their businesses. On Thursday, officials had cleared the shops, but on Saturday, these shops again took root, causing traffic issues. Aggrieved residents then staged a protest.
R Ravindran of Eriyur said, "It is absurd that the shops were told to shut down but were opened two days later. This is impacting bus services, and there are always traffic jams around the bus stand. Residents are severely affected by these unregistered businesses. These roadside shops have become a huge inconvenience, so we request that they be closed."
A roadside vendor from Eriyur said, "It is absurd to ask us to move. We have been conducting business here for over four or five years. This impacts the livelihood of dozens of people."
Officials in the Eriyur town panchayat said, "Following people's requests, we had cleared the encroaching shops. On Saturday, we again cleared the encroachments with the aid of the police. We will ensure the encroachments do not come up again." The police staff said that it was a minor protest and lasted for about 30 minutes.