Notice to shops to vacate Madurai temple premises

On Tuesday, officials from the department asked shops functioning in encroached areas in temple premises to vacate within a week. 

The HR and CE officials, who had inspected the premises at the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Srirangam, Samayapuram Mariamman Temple and Sri Akilandeswari Temple, Thiruvanaikoil, found several shops had encroached upon temple premises. They had also found that there were 18 shops functioning in the Srirangam temple premises and so, they initially sent them notices asking them to vacate immediately. 

On Tuesday, the HR and CE officials along with civic body staff went to the spot to remove the shops functioning illegally in the temple premises. However, the shop owners urged the officials to give them time to vacate the shops. Subsequently, the officials gave them a week’s time and warned them that they would forcibly remove the shops if they did not vacate voluntarily. 

Meanwhile, shopkeepers around the Rock Fort temple approached Collector K Rajamani and urged that they should be assured of alternative arrangements before removing their shops for the Smart City project. They also demanded identity cards so that genuine shop owners would not be affected.