Coimbatore Consumer Cause, a consumer organisation, has urged the State government to review the Tamil Nadu Combined Building Rules 2019 regarding open space reservation (OSR).
In a memorandum to the government, the Coimbatore Consumer Cause secretary K. Kathirmathiyon said that nearly 48 % of Tamil Nadu’s population lives in urban areas. According to earlier norms, a layout with more than 2,500 sq m area should have 10 % of land handed over to the local body as OSR. But, according to the new Tamil Nadu Combined Building Rules 2019, the 10 % OSR is not mandatory for layouts that are less than 3,000 sq metres. Apart from a relaxation in the area that comes under exemption, in respect of layout area between 3,000 sq m and 10,000 sq m, the promoter can either gift 10 % OSR to local bodies or pay the guideline value of equivalent land to the government.
The guideline value is less than the market value in almost all areas. Further, the guideline value of equivalent land, excluding 3,000 sq m, is sufficient to bypass the 10 % OSR norms. It means the promoters can sell more land at market rate by paying guideline value for a smaller portion of land.
The present norms of OSR for layouts will result in cities becoming dense concrete jungles in a few years. The OSR land is reserved for developing parks, playgrounds, recreational facilities for public use while developing a property. The government has taken a retrograde step in 2019 that is totally against the public as well as local bodies. The OSR land is meant for better living of the residents of the layout and used by the local bodies in public interest. Hence, the government should reconsider the new norm for compulsory OSR land and make suitable amendment in the TNCDBR 2019.
