GCC Removes Six Encroachments on Pantheon Road in Egmore
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Sunday carried out an eviction drive on Pantheon Road in Egmore, clearing several illegal encroachments from the road and footpath near the Government Hospital for Women and Children. The action comes more than ten days after Chief Minister Vijay conducted an inspection of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Government Hospital for Women and Children.
During the Sunday operation, civic officials successfully removed six encroachments that had occupied vital portions of the road and footpath near the hospital. The removed structures included two bunk shops, a sugarcane juice machine, and three pushcarts that were blocking pedestrian and vehicular movement.
In addition to the immediate removals, the GCC issued warnings to four other shops operating in the area. These vendors have been given a five-day deadline to relocate to designated vending zones, with officials warning that they will face eviction if they fail to comply.
GCC Commissioner G S Sameeran stated that the corporation is maintaining active surveillance around hospitals, railway stations, and bus stands. To support this effort, the civic body is utilizing 47 enforcement vehicles to patrol key areas. Sameeran explained that temporary encroachments are removed immediately, while formal notices are issued to the owners of permanent encroachments.
To prevent the return of vendors to the cleared stretch, zonal officials have been instructed to continuously monitor Pantheon Road. The GCC is also exploring the possibility of installing signage to declare specific stretches as non-vending zones to deter future encroachments.
However, local civic activist M Ganesan expressed skepticism regarding the effectiveness of such signage. Ganesan noted that the city already has numerous "No Parking" boards where vehicles are routinely parked directly underneath them. He stressed that continuous and strict enforcement, rather than just signs, is required to keep Egmore's public spaces permanently free of encroachments.
