CHENNAI: The state government has defied a 2015 Supreme Court order and left residents of Thangam Colony, Anna Nagar West, in the lurch by not removing encroachments to facilitate a paved bitumen road.Compounding the problem, police have been hesitant in providing protection to Tamil Nadu Housing Board authorities to carry out eviction and lay the road which residents have been demanding for 50 years. Lack of police support prompted the TNHB executive enginner, Anna Nagar division, to write to police commissioner A K Viswanathan (a copy of the letter is with TOI) on June 18.In the letter, A Boopathi, said, "...it was intended to carry out eviction process on October 6, 2017. The assistant commissioner of Anna Nagar alongside Thirumangalam inspector conducted a review of the encroachment site on October 5. I was told that they would get back after discussing with the Anna Nagar deputy commissioner of police. They did not get back as promised and the eviction did not happen as intended."While commissioner Viswanathan said he would review the situation, Anna Nagar assistant commissioner of police Gunasekaran said a review of documents showed there was a "legal dispute". When that the Supreme Court's orders meant there were no pending legal issues, he refused to comment.The issue of paving a 300m stretch of Sixth Avenue in Thangam Colony had long been mired in legal dispute. Local residents alleged that police were growing cold feet as the encroachments were not huts but developed properties belonging to middle and high-income group residents. The Supreme Court in November 2015 ordered the encroachments removed and in July 2016 upheld its order by dismissing a review petition filed."The notification for takeover of the land for paving the road was issued during the tenure of C Kamaraj as Tamil Nadu chief minister in the late 1950s. The beneficiaries for compensation were identified during the chief ministership of M Bhaktavatsalam in the 1960s and the final settlement was awarded when M Karunanidhi was chief minister in the 1970s. The irony is that we still don't have the road," said S Deenadayalan, a longtime resident.

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