Madurai : Encroachments around Govt Rajaji Hospital (GRH) returned within a day of a Madurai Corporation clearance drive, prompting criticism that the exercise ahead of chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s expected visit was largely temporary.
However, residents and traders said advertisement boards had reappeared on footpaths the following day, while vehicles again occupied spaces cleared during the drive through illegal parking. Social activist V P Manikandan termed the drive a “farce” and said encroachments would return after the chief minister’s visit without continuous monitoring. “Instead of merely making announcements, the corporation should impose heavy penalties and conduct regular follow-up inspections to deter violators,” he said. A senior corporation official said monetary penalties would be imposed on vendors violating space regulations around GRH in the run-up to the visit.
They questioned the reliance on verbal warnings instead of sustained enforcement to prevent repeated encroachments.