Coimbatore: The city police blocked a stretch of Sundapalayam Road on Friday after Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) took out a protest against the city corporation for razing Agaali Amman temple on the bund of Narsampathi lake.
HMK members led by leader Arjun Sampath blocked the road for almost an hour. “The civic body, which demolished houses on the bund, had promised to spare the temple. But they razed the century-old temple without informing patrons and devotees,” he said. “We want another home for the Amman Goddess in the same location immediately.”
Vehicles were diverted through Burial Ground Road and Seeranaickenpalayam Road. The protest led to huge police deployment along Sundapalayam Road, Thadagam Road and Burial Ground Road.
Coimbatore: Groundwater level in at least three locations in the western part of the city, where the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is situated, has increased since last June. The Water Technology Centre at the TNAU said the groundwater level at RS Puram, Lawley Road and Poosaripalayam has increased anywhere between 2m and 5.2m, following the successful southwest monsoon and extended northeast monsoon showers.
The centre also took credit, stating that the rainwater harvesting technologies on its campus had also played a role in boosting the groundwater levels.
The centre had set up 40 borewells on its campus to monitor groundwater level and quality. They had taken readings in May-end 2020, before the monsoon began, and again in January this year.
Coimbatore: The city municipal corporation on Thursday demolished around 150 houses that were encroaching an area near the Selvampathi tank bund on Su.
Coimbatore: Though residents of Poosaripalayam, Sathya Nagar, Veerakeralam and Vadavalli are excited about the projects undertaken under the smart cities mission to rejuvenate and beautify Krishnampathi and Kumaraswamy lakes, they are worried about the Sundapalayam Road getting narrower because of the works.
The residents were relieved when corporation officials removed the stalls selling fish, meat and vegetable along Krishnampathi lake to launch the project. They cheered when lake beautification work began on the lake bund.
But when the workers dug shallow pits to construct cycling and jogging tracks, the excitement turned into worry, said a Vedapatti-based techie. “Even though the two-lane bitumen road was not wide enough, there was enough space to park vehicles or to overtake others,” he said.