Tiruvannamalai Corporation officials issued eviction notices to people in illegal settlements atop Arunachala Hills.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The district administration has issued the first eviction notices to 1,535 illegal settlements, mostly houses and commercial establishments, atop Arunachala Hills in Tiruvannamalai town.
Revenue officials said that the drive to demolish encroachments in the hills was aimed at preventing landslides, especially during monsoon. On December 1, 2024, seven persons died after heavy rain triggered a landslide in the hills. “The eviction drive is being monitored by a Madras High Court-nominated high-level committee to restore original forest land in the hills,” a senior official told The Hindu.
As per an enumeration done by the Revenue Department, it was found that there were around 3,535 illegal settlements in the hills especially along Girivalam path for many years. Of this, 1,535 structures were identified as houses in government land. Remaining 2,000 structures are located in disputed land, as the Revenue Department is unable to trace their land records.
In other words, 576 acres of land in the hills have encroachments, mostly houses. In addition, around 20 acres of forest land in the hills also have illegal settlements. As part of the drive, 1,535 illegal structures in the hills will be demolished, in phases, after issuing notices to occupants. A grace period of 30 days will be provided for them to voluntarily vacate the hills before revenue officials raze the illegal structures.
Revenue officials said that of the total encroachments, 143 illegal settlements in the hills come under Tiruvannamalai Corporation limits, covering six wards of the civic body. The entire demolition work will be monitored by Collector Vandana Garg in coordination with other stakeholders, including revenue, police, civic body, forests, and Tangedco.
Land around the foothills to a distance of six km belongs to the revenue department while remaining area in the hills are forests. Once encroachments are demolished, the land will be merged with existing forests in the hills, forest officials said.
Published – August 29, 2026 05:30 am IST
