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Residents’ help sought to protect reserved sites

COIMBATORE: Under fire from various parties in the Council and consumer welfare bodies over inadequate measures to protect reserved sites, the Coimbatore Corporation is now seeking the help of residents’ associations to identify them across the city.

The Corporation is preparing a list of reserved sites in the wake of a renewed call to protect them. Informed sources in the civic body say it has a list of 1,100 sites. But the actual number is much higher, they say.

The civic body has called upon residents’ groups to identify the parks and playgrounds on reserved sites in their areas and provide it a list.

This will help the Corporation prepare a comprehensive list, a press release from Corporation Commissioner V.K. Shanmugham on Friday said.

The Corporation has turned to the public in the wake of allegations that individuals and groups are encroaching reserved and public purpose sites. Rules governing layout formation mandate that a portion of a layout should be set aside thus.

The layout promoter or landowner should hand over this portion to the local body by means of a gift deed.

The Commissioner pointed out that even courts had said that such sites could not remain in the custody of individuals or be encroached. Structures erected by encroaching the sites should be removed and the local body should make it open for use by all sections of the public.

Welcoming this move, Coimbatore Consumer Cause secretary K. Kathirmathiyon said it was time the Corporation protected the reserved sites.

“They may have been handed over in the form of documents to the Corporation. But the misuse continues,” he said.

“When the site is handed over, the local body should put a fence around it and display a board that it belongs to the Corporation.”

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