The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday appointed a committee headed by retired High Court Judge V. Bharathidasan to monitor removal of encroachments from the Girivalam Path of Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani in Dindigul district.
A Division Bench of Justices D. Krishnakumar and R. Vijayakumar appointed the committee comprising the District Collector, Superintendent of Police, Divisional Engineer of Highways Department and retired Joint Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Natarajan.
The court ordered the step while hearing a batch of petitions seeking the removal of encroachments from the Girivalam Path. The petitioners said a large number of devotees would throng the temple for Thaipusam festival in January.
During the hearing, the State submitted that the authorities had convened a meeting in December last with regard to encroachment removal. The authorities would begin the eviction drive on January 5, it was submitted.
While the State told the court that the encroachments were temporary structures and they would be removed, the advocate commissioner submitted that the encroachments also included permanent structures.
Taking into account that the court had earlier issued a series of directions to the authorities with regard to the removal of encroachments, the judges observed that there was a need to monitor the encroachment removal and a find a permanent solution to the problem. Therefore, the committee was being appointed.
The committee would inspect the work and file a report before the court on January 9, the judges said, and adjourned the hearing.
