Residents of Padur near Kelambakkam along Rajiv Gandhi Salai are worried if they will be able to conduct the annual Aadi Thiruvizha at the Sri Padavatta Amman Temple this year. The temple with their village deity is located inside lands that they claim ‘have been encroached upon by a private educational institution’.
Residents led by their panchayat president Thara Sudhakar had submitted a petition to the Chengalpattu District Collector recently urging that lands belonging to their village be retrieved.
V. Saravanan, a resident, said the temple remains without the conduct of daily pujas as there is no access to it. “The encroachment of lands belonging to the government, such as eri poromboke and Kulam poromboke, have been happening over the last 40 years. Along with that, lands belonging to the temple too remain inside the compound of the institution. This year, since we raised objections, I am afraid we may not be able to hold the festival as the college may not permit us,” he said.
Ms. Sudhakar said petitions had been submitted over the years by various panchayat presidents and residents to retrieve the lands measuring around six acres. “The college has built a compound all around the lands even though they are not being used. Several years ago, we had been able to get the tahsildar to measure about 3.67 acres of the kulam poromboke and we had planned to construct a play area for residents of our village. But, as the land needed a lot of earth filling and as it was inside their compound, the panchayat dropped the idea. If those lands are restored to public use, a park, play area and other facilities could be created,” she added.
Harish, another resident, said the compound is so large that it has also enclosed an alternate route connecting OMR and Vandalur – Kelambakkam Road. “It is not accessible to the public. If there is an emergency even, we cannot use it. We only know that there is a short route but it is blocked on both sides. Motorists using OMR would love to have such a road. It would do well for the district administration to ensure that the road is opened for public use,” he said.
Another resident K.A.S. Sudhakar said the compound wall, temporary fencing, 30% of an open well, and a shed constructed by the institution were all located on poromboke land.
Published - July 16, 2026 04:45 pm IST