Encroachments along Fatima College - Paravai stretch removed

Madurai High Court orders removal of encroachments along Madurai-Dindigul highway, Corporation and Highways Department officials conduct joint operation.

Following directions from Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, Corporation and Highways Department officials, in a joint operation, removed encroachments along Fatima College - Paravai stretch of Madurai - Dindigul highway on Wednesday.

Corporation officials said that the encroachments along the road margins of the highway were removed till Paravai. Sheds of eight shops and ramps of six shops that had encroached on the road were removed. The Corporation and Highways Department officials were involved in the operation. The Corporation was involved till the removal of encroachments in its limits. On Thursday, the Highways Department will continue the operation from Paravai towards Samayanallur.

The court had issued the directions while hearing the public interest litigation petition filed in 2023 by N. Senthil Kumar of Paravai who had sought a direction to the authorities concerned to ensure proper safety measures along the road stretch. Earlier, the court had directed the authorities to ensure that adequate streetlights were installed along this road.

The court took note of the fact that the Madurai-Dindigul highway stretch between Fatima College and Samayanallur fell within the territorial jurisdictions of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Madurai City, the revenue jurisdiction of Madurai Corporation Commissioner, Samayanallur town panchayat and Paravai town panchayat and suo motu impleaded the authorities.

A Division Bench of Justices M.S. Ramesh and A.D. Maria Clete told the authorities concerned that they would inspect the road at around 5.30 p.m. on November 29 and directed the Corporation Commissioner, police and other officials to be present during the inspection.