The district administration has identified 59 encroachments, mostly houses, on waterbodies, especially lakes near the temple town. These structures will be demolished before the onset of the northeast monsoon, officials said.
The initiative is part of the monsoon preparedness of the district administration to prevent inundation of the town. Last year, Tiruvannamalai town was flooded and cut off from key arterial stretches like Outer Ring Road, Allurpettai Main Road, Chittoor - Tindivanam High Road for many weeks due to the overflowing of Vengaikaal tank on the outskirts of the town.
“We have served notices to the encroachers around the lakes. Illegal structures will be demolished in the coming weeks after relocating the displaced families to alternative accommodation,” R. Vetrivel, Revenue Division Officer (RDO), Tiruvannamalai, told The Hindu.
