Village panchayats of the city’s southern suburbs face stiff opposition from residents for changing the use of Open Space Reserve land. In recent times, at least a couple of residents’ welfare associations have raised objections to proposals for constructing water tanks in the areas allocated originally for parks.
The Kolapakkam village panchayat under the Kundrathur Panchayat Union in Kancheepuram district started constructing a water tank and an anganwadi at Mahalakshmi Nagar, where people wanted to have a park. Office-bearers of the Residents Welfare Association of Abhinaya Garden-Mahalakshmi Nagar called on the village panchayat officials to stop work, but in vain. The elected representatives reportedly said the space belonged to the village panchayat and they had the right to go ahead with the work.
Residents said the area was approved by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority in 2000, and the four-ground site was allocated for developing a park in the approved sketch map.
“When we asked for the construction of a children’s playground in the limited space available, we were given to understand that there was no budget allocation for the creation of a park. Instead, they asked us to participate in the ‘Namakku Naame Thittam.’ They did not speak about this scheme until they completed their work on the land allocated for the park,” said G. Kannan of Kolapakkam. “The area has shrunk to bare minimum from its original size of four grounds.”
A similar situation prevails at Nanmangalam, where residents objected to the village panchayat’s decision to allow the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board to construct an overhead water tank by dismantling the play equipment of the children’s park in an apartment complex. It had to be stopped after stiff resistance from the residents, and talks are on between the residents’ representatives and village panchayat officials.
However, officials of the respective block development offices said they had no other option but to use the public land available for the purpose. It was in people’s interests, and works were being carried out after an appraisal by the respective village panchayats.
