A little away from main roads, surrounded by areca nut farms in Ramanathapuram are layouts that are under developed. A good number of these layouts, spread over from Ramanathapuram to Saramedu along the South Bank of River Noyyal, are far away from proper roads. Only a ride on a dusty track leads to the layouts.
Alongside the developers’ name boards are Coimbatore Corporation’s boards that say that Parivallal Nagar, Arafa Garden, Shafa Garden Phase I, Shafa Garden Phase II, New Poyas Garden, Mina Garden and New Metro Garden are unapproved layouts.
The developers have not obtained the necessary permission from the Local Planning Authority, Coimbatore, or the Coimbatore Corporation. The latter will not provide drinking water supply, drainage facility, street light or other basic amenities. It will also not approve of plans for buildings proposed to be constructed at the aforementioned sites.
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The sites come under Ward 75 of the Coimbatore Corporation.
The residents of the area say that the developers have not only failed to obtain permission from the powers that be but have also thrown law to the wind in encroaching upon irrigation channels. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the residents point out that most of the layouts in the area have encroached on one channel or the other.
In a few instances, the lands the realtors have encroached upon extend up to two or more acres. They have also encroached upon Government land. At Rs. 2 – 3 crore an acre, it is a huge loss to the exchequer.
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To protest against the realtors’ usurping channels and Government land, the residents staged protests and petitioned the district administration and also the Coimbatore Corporation. Consequent upon the protests and petition, District Collector M. Karunagaran wrote to the Assistant Commissioner, South Zone, Coimbatore Corporation, in October 2012 saying that the Corporation should not accept land donated for public use and roads from the realtors as they had not obtained the Local Planning Authority’s approval.
Ward Councillor R. Kalaivani says that there are two issues here – one, cautioning potential buyers against buying land from the realtors, who have not obtained permission. They should be informed that the Corporation would not provide any basic amenity; two, initiating action against the realtors for encroaching upon the channels, which come under the maintenance of the Public Works Department.
Sources in the PWD say that they are ready to issue notices to the realtors but for that the Survey Department and the South Thasildar have to mark the boundaries for the channels.
The PWD had sent a request to the Department for survey in December 2012 but it was yet to respond.
Meanwhile, representatives of the realtors said that they had not encroached upon irrigation channels. It was a mischief being played by the Councillor, they countered.
As for the charge that they were selling unapproved sites, the representatives said that while it was a common feature across the town, only those realtors in Ward 75 were being targeted.
“Where else has the Corporation or LPA placed boards informing public about unapproved layouts?,” asks a representative who identified himself as Raja.