Residents urge against shifting temple built for MGR at GKM colony
When the construction of the stormwater drain was partially completed, the residents of the GKM colony placed the temple on the drain.
Residents urge against shifting temple built for MGR at GKM colony
CHENNAI: Residents of the GKM colony complained that the Chennai Corporation urged them to remove a temple built for MGR due to the ongoing stormwater drain construction ahead of the northeast monsoon.
People claim that the zonal officials promised to place the statue after the completion of the drain in the area, however, due to political pressure from the ruling party the officials denied permission to reinstall the MGR figurine in the same place.
"The temple has been maintained for more than 30 years, recently the civic body asked to shift the temple to another place due to the stormwater drain in the area. We had a discussion with the assistant engineer to carry out the construction without disturbing the statue. As heavy machinery has been used to dig up the road, where a small portion of the temple was broken. And the official told us to keep the status once the SWD is completed," said K Jayakumar, a resident of GKM colony 36th street and also a local AIADMK ward (64) functionary.
When the construction of the stormwater drain was partially completed, the residents of the GKM colony placed the temple on the drain.
"Due to the political pressure of the ruling party, the zonal officials urged the removal of the temple. The temple has not caused any inconvenience to the public," added Jayakumar. Now, the SWD construction has been halted for the last five days due to the temple.
"We temporarily moved the temple without discussing it with fellow AIADMK party members. Similarly, if the local body wants to shift the temple elsewhere, they should provide notice in advance. We have raised a complaint to the zonal officer, but there has been no response. If they don't allow us to keep the temple in the same place we would go on a hunger strike soon," stated S Palani, another resident.
When contacted A S Murugan, a zonal officer of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar (zone 6), he admitted that a complaint has been received from the residents, and only after verifying steps would be taken regarding whether to retain or shift the temple.
