Coimbatore corporation razes 117 houses built illegally

Sending a strong message to encroachers, city corporation officials on Friday demolished 117 houses along the Indian Sugarcane Breeding Institute at Seeranaickenpalayam and MGR Nagar in the city that were constructed on dried water channels connected to local lakes. “We had issued eviction notices to the occupants of the encroachments and alternative accommodation were also given,” an official with the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB), who oversaw the drive, said. Explaining that the board had allotted apartments at the housing unit at Malumichampatti for the encroachers, the official said that half of them had moved to the housing unit. “We had built 1,300 apartments of 400 sq ft size at Malumichampatti to rehabilitate the encroachers. They were expected to pay only Rs 36,000 for an apartment. But the civic body pitched in and paid on their behalf,” he told media. Meanwhile, corporation sources said that the water bodies and channels that were encroached will be restored and rejuvenated under the smart city project.