Chennai, May 17(IANS) The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (WRD) is set to initiate the eviction of over 600 families residing illegally along the Adyar riverbank in Anakaputhur, starting next week.

This move comes nearly a year after eviction notices were first issued. Despite building permanent structures on the river’s edge without authorisation, the families had resisted eviction for several months.

The delay was further prolonged by legal challenges in the Madras High Court, which have now been resolved.

A senior WRD engineer confirmed that after extended negotiations with residents, the Department is now prepared to proceed with the eviction and resettlement process.

The affected families will be relocated to tenements constructed by the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB).

The resettlement sites include Perumbakkam, Thailavaram near Perungalathur, and Keerappakkam, with 200 housing units allotted in each location.

Encroachments in Anakaputhur include settlements in Thai Moogambigai Nagar, Quaid-e-Millath Nagar, Shanthi Colony, and MGR Nagar.

With this phase of eviction, WRD officials said nearly 75 per cent of encroachments along the Adyar river have now been cleared.

However, four major settlements remain: Mallippoo Nagar in Adyar, Annai Sathya Nagar on Greenways Road, Saidapet, and parts of Anakaputhur.

Among these, Mallippoo Nagar is the largest, housing over 1,200 families, followed by Saidapet with more than 500 families.

The remaining two areas have a few hundred residents each. The Adyar River Restoration Project, under which these evictions are being carried out, had initially identified 9,539 families for resettlement.

WRD officials stated that the availability of new housing units and recent consent from residents have helped facilitate a smoother rehabilitation process this time.

“The rehabilitation drive is crucial to preventing environmental degradation and safeguarding lives,” the senior engineer said.

As part of the larger restoration effort, desilting work has been completed along 18 km of the river, and key stretches in Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu have been fenced.

Additional measures include the creation of parks and plantations, beautification of bridges, installation of modular Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), and removal of over 8,797 tonnes of solid waste, according to data submitted to the National Green Tribunal.

–IANS

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