Coimbatore: The space crunch due to encroachments on highways is regarded to be one of the main reasons for traffic congestions.
Coimbatore: The space crunch due to encroachments on highways is regarded to be one of the main reasons for traffic congestions.
Residents and shopkeepers using public space to display their store wares and hawkers using pavements, not only steal the pedestrian space but also cause accidents. Often, the public complain of not having enough space on the footpath to walk freely due to stalls and shops who have extended their space illegally.
So, are the shopkeepers on the Pollachi - Coimbatore highways on whom cases were filed by the Podanur Police on Monday for illegally using public space for their personal purposes. As the road expansion work is going on at full swing on the Coimbatore-Pollachi highway, notices were issued to the shops and residences who had been using public space.
As the warnings issued fell on deaf ears, the Podanur Police filed case on each one of the shopkeepers for encroaching public space and causing nuisance to the public.
On Monday, the Podanur Police Inspector along with 30 policemen visited the areas along the Kurichi Kulam here, where the shopkeepers had encroached upto 20 feet of the public space.
Tense moments prevailed as the police issued notices and filed case on them for encroaching public space. If encroachments are removed, the Pollachi-Coimbatore highways near Kurichi Kulam which is 30 feet could be extended to 50 feet.