For years, Chennai’s footpaths have been held hostage by pushcarts, shop displays, illegal seating, and permanent structures that turned public space into private property. Now, the Greater chennai Corporation (GCC) has dropped the hammer. A new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) orders merciless eviction within 24 hours of notice. Photographed, geo-tagged, and monitored — the city is declaring open war on footpath encroachments, and this time, there’s no hiding.
1. One Day to Pack and Leave
No more endless notices or legal wrangling. Vendors and encroachers now get just 24 hours. Miss the deadline? Your cart, goods, or chairs will vanish.
2. Engineers on Patrol
Assistant Engineers and their bosses are now the frontline soldiers. They’ll identify, classify, and geo-tag every encroachment — from pushcarts to “casually dumped” shop goods.
3. Evidence, Not Excuses
Photos before eviction, photos after eviction. Everything is uploaded on the GCC App. No more “I wasn’t there” excuses. technology will be the witness.
4. police Back-Up, If Needed
If anyone dares resist, Assistant Executive Engineers won’t hesitate to bring in the cops. Pushback against eviction now risks confrontation with law enforcement.
5. vehicles, Manpower, Muscle
Special deployment based on population density means crowded markets and busy stretches will see heavy eviction squads armed with vehicles and workers.
6. Dump Yard Destiny
All seized materials won’t be politely returned. They’ll be dumped at designated sites, with receipts logged. Vendors will face both loss and bureaucracy to reclaim anything.
7. zero Recurrence, zero Excuse
After the cleanup, the enforcement team isn’t off the hook. If the encroachments return, engineers themselves will be held accountable. No scapegoats, no blame-shifting.
8. Daily Reporting, Ruthless Tracking
Every single day, zone-wise reports go up to the Regional Deputy Commissioner. The Corporation isn’t just acting tough — it’s creating a paper trail of accountability.
🔥 Bottomline: Chennai’s message is blunt — footpaths belong to the people, not private profiteers. With 24-hour deadlines, tech-enabled tracking, and strict accountability, this isn’t another token drive. It’s a systematic war on encroachers. Vendors, shopkeepers, and “casual occupiers” beware: the era of unchecked footpath grabbing is over.
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