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The Coimbatore City Corporation recently reclaimed 1.13 acres of open space reservation (OSR) land in Vadavalli, valued at 22 crore. The land had been illegally sold and occupied by individuals who built houses on it. Despite earlier court orders to remove encroachments, efforts to vacate the land failed. In response to a contempt petition filed by the VNR Residents' Welfare Association, the corporation demolished the illegal structures and reclaimed the land. Plans include installing a fence around the reclaimed parcels, and further action will be taken to reclaim the remaining 56 cents if the encroachers do not vacate within 15 days.
The Coimbatore City Corporation had recently managed to retrieve 1.13 acres of open space reservation (OSR) land parcels located in wards 36 and 40 near Vadavalli. These parcels were valued at an estimated 22 crore. According to sources from the corporation, the Directorate of Town and Country Planning had, many years ago, granted approval for the development of three layouts covering 17 acres of land in the Vadavalli area. As part of the approval, the land promoter was instructed to hand over 1.69 acres of OSR land to the local authority, which at that time was the Vadavalli town panchayat. Advertisement
However, the land promoter failed to comply with this directive and instead sold the designated OSR parcels to several individuals. These buyers then proceeded to build residential houses on the land. Over time, this led to the illegal occupation of what was originally reserved land meant for public use.
When the state government expanded the city corporation's boundaries in 2011, Vadavalli was incorporated into the city. In 2017 the president of the VNR Residents' Welfare Association, Joseph, took legal action by approaching the Madras High Court. He petitioned for a directive compelling the city corporation to recover the OSR land parcels by removing the encroachments that had taken place. Following this, the court issued an order in February 2024, instructing the city corporation to clear the encroachments on the land.
In response to the court's directive, officials from the town planning department, specifically from the west zone, took steps to notify the encroachers, requesting them to vacate the land. Unfortunately, these efforts proved unsuccessful, as the encroachers did not comply with the notices.
In October 2024, the welfare association filed a contempt petition, accusing the city corporation commissioner and the district collector of failing to take action and retrieve the OSR land parcels. This petition further emphasized the importance of enforcing the court's decision.
Following this, the corporation's assistant town planning officer for the zone, Mahendran, along with his team, successfully reclaimed 1.13 acres of the OSR land by demolishing the buildings that had been constructed on it. The corporation plans to further secure the reclaimed land by installing a fence around it to prevent any further encroachments. Additionally, officials mentioned that the remaining 56 cents of OSR land would be reclaimed at the earliest opportunity.
The official also pointed out that the encroachers had constructed homes on the land that was not legally theirs. Notices had been issued to the individuals, giving them a 15-day period to vacate the land. The official made it clear that if the encroachers failed to comply with this deadline, the corporation would take further action by demolishing the illegal constructions and taking back possession of the land.
The successful reclamation of 1.13 acres of OSR land by the city corporation highlights the importance of enforcing land use regulations and legal orders. Despite challenges with encroachments and delays in action, the corporation's efforts demonstrate a commitment to restoring public land for its intended purpose. Moving forward, continued vigilance and swift action are necessary to ensure the remaining illegally occupied land is reclaimed, and future encroachments are prevented, protecting valuable resources for the community.
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