In its effort to speed up the removal of commercial encroachments along the Cooum, the Water Resources Department on Monday razed a portion of a hotel’s compound wall in Koyambedu that had encroached on the river bank.
After nearly eight years of struggle to clear the encroachments, the WRD demolished a portion of the wall amidst heavy police security. Officials of the WRD said that several notices were given to the hotel authorities in the past. “Hotel Shan Royal had encroached on 900 sq.m. of land along the river. We have been denied entry a few times earlier,” said an official.
Two machines were engaged in the demolition. “The rear portion of the building also falls under the river bank area and needs to be demolished. The hotel authorities have sought time till March 5 to vacate,” the official said.
The department has identified nearly 12,000 encroachments along the Cooum between Koyambedu and Napier bridge. Of this, nearly 550 are commercial structures.
“We have been able to remove only five commercial structures. Once the structures along the waterway between Koyambedu and Anna Arch are removed, the river could be widened up to 200m,” the official noted. Hotel authorities were not available for comment.
