The pavement shops keepers who have been evicted from the Park Gate junction in view of the ongoing 162- crore Two level Gandhipuram fly over project have been made to run from pillar to post as the alternative site for them has not been alloted to them yet by the city corporation.
The 125 odd pavement shop owners had earlier approached Madras High court against the eviction order served on them by the State Highways Department, the implementing authority of the flyover project. The court which heard the case ordered that the city Corporation allot alternative sites for the small time traders to resettle them in a new area.
When the Corporation identified lands for the evicted shop owners near Thudiyalur, it was not accepted by the pavement shop owners saying it is a far flung area. And then the Corporation identified lands for them near the Power House in the central zone. But the TANGEDCO objected to the setting up of shops in the allotted site, when the evicted ones thought at last they have got a new site to start their business.
“In the end, the evicted 125 odd shop owners have been made to run from pillar to post to reestablish their business in a new locality as many hurdles continue to crop up for them. "The corporation Commissioner would look into their problem and an amical solution would be arrived and the shop keepers resettled soon” said a senior Corporation official