TIRUCHIRAPPALLI, Tamil Nadu: Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation and city police removed encroachment from pavements and smart drains in three wards of the urban local body.
The anti-encroachment exercise covered Woraiyur, Salai Road, and Takkar Road, situated in wards 9, 10, and 11 of Zone-V. The corporation removed encroachments from smart drains built under Smart Cities Mission programme in Rockfort hillock. Smart drains covering seven square km with ducts for cables and pedestrian pavements were built in 2019 at a cost of 69 crore.
As per the reports, the shops periodically cover the pavements to display hoarding, advertisements, and stalls to display their products. Due to this, pedestrians could not walk on the footpath, and they had to walk on the road, causing traffic congestion during peak hours, especially on weekends and the festive season. Some of the eateries have also been using pavement for their business.