The corporation officials removed the encroachments on open drainage near the Jawahar Mill Maidan in Salem on Saturday and served notice on a ruling party cadre, who was running a pig shed there.
The corporation is executing the underground drainage works in the city limits in Suramangalam zone for the last couple of years. It has planned a treatment plant at Maankuttai area, near Jawahar Mill ground.
Official sources said that a ruling party cadre had encroached into the corporation land and had constructed a pig rearing shed, by diverting the course of the open drainage through an adjacent private land.
The owner of the private land moved the court, which directed the Corporation to remove the encroachment from the patta land immediately. Following this, Corporation Commissioner R. Satish and other officials inspected the area and spotted the pig shed constructed diverting the open drainage. The corporation had already adopted a resolution three years ago slapping a ban on rearing pigs, posing health hazard, in the corporation limits.
On the direction of the Mr. Satish, the corporation authorities launched the eviction operation on Saturday. The man rearing pig pleaded for 15 days time for vacating the land. Citing court order, the officials did not oblige him.
Later, the pig shed and other encroachments which had blocked the open drainage were removed and the original course of the drainage was restored.
The corporation has also served notice on the owner of the pig shed for rearing pigs in the city limits in violation of the ban. When contacted, corporation sources said that the pig shed owner has assured to shift the animals out of the city limits by evening.
Sources added that the corporation has also sought explanation from the senior officials of the health wing in connection with the functioning of the pig rearing unit in the city limits for so long.