WRD clears encroachments along the Adyar, to intensify drive in a phased manner

After many years, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has cleared encroachments at Sathya Nagar North along a portion of Adyar River.

The WRD has identified 3,000 more encroachments to be cleared in a phased manner at various locations along the river. Though the encroachment-removal drive along riverbanks began five years ago, it ran into a delay owing to stiff resistance from residents and court cases.

Officials of the WRD said nearly 171 encroachments at Sathya Nagar North behind the Saidapet court were removed recently. While some of the residents had been relocated to tenements of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) in Perumbakkam, some have sought resettlement at Kotturpuram — where a TNUHDB housing project is under way.

Resettlement efforts

The resettlement efforts and eviction drive are being carried out as part of the Adyar River Restoration Project under the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust. This was done after the Madras High Court directed line departments to clear encroachments at Sathya Nagar by March 19.

Officials said that nearly 2.2 acres had been retrieved along the stretch, and the vacant land would be used to construct a modular sewage treatment plant to collect and treat raw sewage that entered the river.

The department has identified several families to be relocated in places such as Malligaipoo Nagar; Burma Colony near Jaffarkhanpet; Annai Sathya Nagar; Surya Nagar near Kotturpuram; Thedeer Nagar and Anakaputhur.

A total of 10,347 encroachments were enumerated to be cleared, and almost half them have been removed so far. Of the nearly 1.12 lakh sq. m. of encroached land along the waterway, nearly 61,000 sq.m. have been retrieved so far, officials said.

Experts said the eviction drive should be carried out periodically, instead of waiting for a court intervention. Meanwhile, a detailed project report is also being prepared for the Adyar River Restoration and Beautification project.

It may be recalled that Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, who presented the Budget for 2025-26 on March 14, said the project would be taken up at a cost of ₹1,500 crore and the first phase would prioritise works between Saidapet and Thiru.Vi.Ka. Bridge.