Indiscriminate encroachment of public space by traders and roadside vendors on Panchavarnaswamy Temple road in Woraiyur has caused severe inconvenience to the residents and devotees visiting the temple.
The 30-foot-wide road has a number of traders, functioning in own and rental buildings on both sides. The revered Lord Shiva temple, situated on the road, attracts a large number of devotees from Tiruchi and beyond, especially on Fridays, weekends, and festival days. However, the road has emerged as one of the worst roads in the city for vehicular movement due to the large scale encroachment.
Various traders, including vegetable vendors, flower sellers, roadside eateries, soft drink sellers, and puja item sellers, occupy the road space from morning to evening, leaving only a narrow passage for devotees, thereby reducing the public space. The encroachment has narrowed down the width of the road to a mere 10-15 feet, making it challenging for the two-way traffic and causing regular traffic snarls. The encroachment has severely impacted the purpose of the road.
With no parking lot available in the area, devotees visiting the temple by cars and two-wheelers have been left without any option except for parking their vehicles wherever space is available. While it is adding woes to the traffic congestion, it often becomes a point of contention between the encroachers and the devotees. There were instances of heated arguments between motorists and roadside vendors, who object to vehicles being parked in front of their shops.
“The road has virtually turned into a daily vegetable market. With the blatant encroachment of public space, we find it extremely difficult to space to drive vehicles,” says M. Selva of Srirangam, a regular visitor to the temple.
A trader, on condition of anonymity, said that pavement traders had been demanding the Tiruchi Corporation to allott a suitable site. However, no action has been taken so far. Moreover, they had been forced to pay daily rent, ranging from ₹50 to ₹100, by the “persons” employed by a contractor, who was authorised only to collect from the traders at Woraiyur market.
K. Suresh, CPI councillor representing ward 23, said that traffic policemen should be posted on the road to regulate traffic and check encroachment. The Tiruchi Corporation should allot shops to the pavement traders on the Panchavarnaswamy Temple road in the market, which was being built at Woraiyur.
Published – November 12, 2025 07:49 pm IST
