Encroachments around Arunachaleswarar Temple demolished for Karthigai Deepam

Encroachments, mostly roadside outlets and extensions of existing shops, on all four Mada Streets around Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai town were demolished on Wednesday to provide more road space for pilgrims during Karthigai Deepam festival, which will be celebrated till December 7.

Officials of State Highways, which is executing the demolition drive, said that apart from Mada Streets around the temple, illegal structures on the 14-km-long Girivalam path are also being demolished as the footfall of devotees is expected to increase in the coming days ahead of the lighting of the Maha Deepam on December 3. The entire work will be completed in a day or two. Along with Highways’ officials, Collector K. Tharpagaraj and Tiruvannamalai Corporation Commissioner S. Selva Balaji inspected the demolition drive around the temple.

“More road space will help senior citizens and children to walk safely around the temple and the Girivalam path. The entire stretch will be restored to its original width,” S. Anbarasu, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), State Highways, told The Hindu.

Most of the encroachments are located on the newly constructed stormwater drains. Two-wheelers and cycles are parked on the carriageway of these stretches, thereby blocking the easy movement of pedestrians to the temple and its surrounding areas.

“Providing more road space is a welcome measure as pedestrians, mostly devotees, struggle to walk safely on the stretches due to make-shift shops,” said K. Pavithra, a devotee.

Highways’ officials said that around three lakh visitors come to the town on Chitra Pournami days. The footfall increases to 40 lakh persons on the Maha Deepam day, when no vehicles, including two-wheelers, are allowed to enter the town due to the huge flow of devotees.

The ongoing concrete carriageway laying work on Mada streets is nearing completion. It is expected to provide the much-needed relief for devotees, who have to walk on the pothole-ridden stretch to reach the temple. The Highways Department is executing the work at a cost of ₹15-crore.