A resident of Ganapathi Nagar attempted to immolate himself to protest against the eviction. | Photo Credit: M. Muthu Ganesh more-in Tension gripped Pozhichalur, on the southern suburbs of Chennai city on Thrusday, after an encroacher refused to budge, despite mediation efforts by revenue and police officials. The Public Works Department (PWD) began work on removing encroachments on the Adyar river banks in Ganapathi Nagar in Pozhichalur on Thursday. It was planned that 46 houses, which were earlier identified by a high-level committee incharge of flood mitigation work in Kancheepuram district, would be removed, to pave way for bund widening and strengthening. Karnan, one of the residents, doused kerosene on himself and attempted self-immolation. However, the police and other residents pacified him to move to the allotted housing area in Perumbakkam. Kancheepuram revenue authorities on Thursday announced that South Chennai, which witnessed unprecedented flooding in 2015, would breathe easy during the ensuing monsoon, as the reclamation of the encroached Adyar river was progressing at full pace.

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