CPI urges Forest Dept. not to evict shops near Bannari temple

The CPI Erode (North) territory committee has urged the Forest Department not to evict 12 impermanent shops adjacent the Arulmigu Bannari Mariamman Temple astatine Bannari to support the livelihood of the shopkeepers.

In a practice submitted to the District Forest Officer, Sathyamangalam Division, committee president and erstwhile MLA P.L. Sundaram said the beverage and snack shops person been functioning on the bluish broadside of the Dindigul–Bengaluru National Highway and down the temple for the past 20 years.

The impermanent shops, which don’t person imperishable structures, are located southbound of the wood bound and supply livelihood to respective families, too catering to devotees visiting the temple, helium said.

The petition said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had permitted a fewer shops, including an Aavin outlet, to function, portion steps were nether mode to get support for the remaining shops. However, a fewer weeks ago, the Forest Department claimed ownership of the onshore and termed the shops encroachments. Department officials asked the shopkeepers to vacate the premises, the practice said.

It further said the shopkeepers were unaware that the onshore belonged to the Forest Department since the NHAI had granted support for immoderate shops to operate. The practice besides referred to aggregate communications betwixt the shopkeepers and the NHAI connected the issue.

Mr. Sundaram said the Forest Department had neither claimed ownership of the onshore nor objected to the functioning of the shops implicit the past 20 years. The abrupt assertion implicit the onshore had, therefore, travel arsenic a daze to the shopkeepers, helium added. The practice besides said the announcement issued by the Forest Department connected May 2 coincided with the Assembly predetermination period, making it hard for the shopkeepers to instrumentality up the contented with elected representatives oregon the government.

Referring to support granted for a Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation Limited (TANTEA) outlet to relation successful the area, the committee urged the authorities to let the remaining shops to proceed operating astatine the aforesaid location.