Corporation officials arrived at Sivakamipuram 1st Street in Marundeeswarar Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, to demolish a 45-year-old Varashakti Vinayagar temple, citing that the structure had allegedly been built over a storm-water drain. The officials were accompanied by around 50 police personnel, following which a tense situation developed in the locality.
According to residents, the arrival of the officials triggered protests, with more than a hundred local people gathering near the temple holding placards and opposing the demolition. The protest led to traffic congestion in the area.
Following discussions, officials suggested that the protesters come to the Corporation office to resolve the issue. The protest was temporarily withdrawn, but residents continued to sit near the temple, with tension prevailing in Thiruvanmiyur.
Responding to the Corporation’s claim that a rain-water drain runs underneath the temple, a local resident denied the allegation.
“There is no connection at all, sir. The concerned officials have never once come and seen the place directly. When we went and complained to the RTC, they told the AC, ‘Go and see it in person.’ The tahsildar came, inspected, measured everything and went back saying, ‘You can do it, it’s okay.’ Only after that – three months later – we built the temple, fixed the date for the kumbabhishekam, and all the work has been going on,” she said.
She stated that the issue surfaced suddenly on Saturday evening.
“Now yesterday, Saturday evening, the inspector called and said, ‘We’ve received this kind of message, you be careful. We will come and give protection; in one day we couldn’t do anything more.’ That is what he said, sir,” she added.
Appealing for support, the resident said, “So for us, it is the media, the police and the general public who must give us support, help us build this temple and protect it – that alone is enough, sir. I am 45 years old now. For as long as I can remember, this temple has been here. If you want, you can go and take photos for the media and send them – there is absolutely no issue related to rain-water. For rain-water there are two separate sumps; those sumps are further away.”
She further claimed that the footprint of the temple was minimal.
“If you look at the total footprint of the temple, it is only 50 square feet, sir. That fellow cheats people out of property worth thousands of crores; he swallows land by the acre, by the thousand grounds. For the sake of this locality, for generations, we are only asking for 50 square feet for this town. Can’t the corporation at least leave that 50 square feet for us, sir?” she asked.
She alleged that even this limited space was now being targeted.
“Take the measurement and send it – what we are occupying is only 50 square feet of temple width, sir, and even that they are trying to grab from us. It looks like they are just trying to push us to the side. Tell them to come and inquire directly. Without coming here, without visiting in person, how can they simply pass an order saying ‘demolish it’, sir? Not even one person has come here,” she said.
The resident also said that only one Assistant Engineer had visited the site earlier.
“Our AE-madam came once; we don’t know what problem or what issue she saw here,” she said.
Rejecting the claim that the temple obstructed drainage, he stated that the area had never experienced water stagnation.
“Look at this: for no rain-water, for no Vardah cyclone, water has ever stagnated in our area, sir. All of Chennai was floating in water, but in our area water never even came. That is the extent to which they have laid proper storm-water drains and culverts here and then built this temple,” she said.
She added that surrounding localities had faced flooding, while the area around the temple had remained unaffected.
“For so many years, the whole surrounding area gets flooded; Radha Krishna Nagar gets fully flooded; but in our area not a single drop of water has ever stood. There has been no issue in any rain or storm. We do not understand how they are justifying this action now. We have never caused any disturbance; there is no disturbance even to traffic/vehicles,” she said.
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