Court asks officials to remove encroachments on roads

Concerned over accidents which claimed the lives of "padayatris" (pilgrims going by walk) to Palani temple, a division bench of the Madras High Court reminded the Dindigul District Collector and SP on a court order to remove encroachments on road sides and asked them to implement it immediately.
Jusice S Tamilvananan and Justice V S Ravi, disposing a petition filed by Rm.Arun Swaminathan, a advocte said the court had already issued a direction to remove encroachments along the highway in Dindigul district to enable the pilgrims walk on the side of the road.
Oficials should act upon the court order and remove the encroachments. The Temple Joint Commissioner and the Municipal Commissioner had also been asked to remove the encroachment around the Giri Street around the Palani temple hillm the bench said.

The petitioner submitted that lakhs of devotees walked through stretches including Palani-Dharapuram, Vadamadurai-Oddanchattiram, Dindigul-palani and Karaikudi_Palani.
According to news reports 125 devotees die every year on the high way during the padayatra season, the petitioner said.
There would be very heavy crowd during the Thaipoosam day and before that all the encroahments should be removed, the court said.
The petitioner wanted the the temple administration, which allowed the shops on lease basis, was mainly responsible for the traffic congestion around the hill.
Meanwhile, the District Collector, acting quickly on the orders of the court, convened a meeting of the officials and directed them to remove the encroachments.