Corporation officials removing encroachments at the Panneerselvam Park Junction in Erode on Friday.
| Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN

The Corporation has begun a massive drive on Friday to remove encroachments on arterial roads and busy stretches in the city to ensure adequate road space is available for motorists and pedestrians.

Increase in traffic volume, encroachment of road space by shopkeepers, unauthorised vehicle parking on roads and pedestrian behaviours lead to frequent traffic congestion on city roads. Though the problem remains perennial, a few steps taken by authorities concerned did not yield required results, affecting motorists and pedestrians.

On Wednesday, Corporation Commissioner Narnaware Manish Shankarrao held a meeting with officials from the departments of Revenue, Transport, Police, Fire and Rescue Services, Highways, National Highways Authority of India and Tangedco. Officials identified the congested roads in the city and decided to take effective steps to ensure free flow of traffic.

Stretches that are identified as congested are Meenatchi Sundaranar Road – from GH Roundabout to Panneerselvam Park (P.S. Park), from P.S. Park to Manikoondu and Ellai Mariamman Temple, R.K.V. Road, Sakthi Road from Ellai Mariamman Temple to bus stand and till Swastik Corner Roundabout, from Swastik Corner Roundabout to Veerappanchatiram Mariamman Temple, E.V.N. Road from G.H. Roundabout to Railway Station and Kalaimadu Silai and Gandhiji Road from Kalaimadu Silai to P.S. Park.

Officials said commercial establishments, temples, hospitals, banks, eateries, and other establishments were present in large numbers on both sides of the roads in these stretches and unauthorised parking had reduced the road space for vehicle movement. Also, officials pointed out that placing of advertisement materials on roads, extension of roads by encroaching road space were common in these stretches. Hence, it was decided to remove encroachments.

A Corporation official said the drive had begun on the stretch from P.S. Park to Ellai Mariamman Temple on Friday and it would continue on other stretches in the coming days. The official said earthmovers and workers, monitored by a team of officials, were on the job and establishments were warned against encroaching road space.

The Corporation Commissioner said steps would be taken through the Police department to prevent unauthorised parking in front of shops on arterial roads. Motorists would be asked to use the Corporation’s parking lots available in the respective areas, he said. The Commissioner said a meeting would soon be held with shop owners on the issue to ensure no vehicles were parked in front of the shops.