Coimbatore: The city corporation demolished three temples on the bund of Selva Chinthamani lake on Saturday, clearing the path to carry out the lake rejuvenation and beautification project.
“We had demolished a Goddess temple a month ago. We handed over an idol to the locals and will take the other two to the corporation office,” a corporation official said.
According to local residents, the civic body had removed encroachments along the bund a few decades ago, but left the temples untouched. Initially, the residents opposed the move to demolish the temples, but the officials held talks and pacified them. “They have assured us to keep the idols safe on their premises and return them when we find an alternative location to construct temples,” said Ponnusamy, a resident.
Meanwhile, the officials have instructed over 200 families residing at Panaimarathur near Selvapuram to vacate at the earliest. “We had issued eviction notices and provided alternative accommodation to the residents. We want them to vacate the houses so that we can demolish them to carry out the lake project at Muthannankulam,” the official added.