The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Suspense continues for unapproved layouts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Suspense continues for unapproved layouts

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, JAN. 25. The resolutions adopted last week in the Coimbatore Corporation Council, for development works in the added areas, have come as happy tidings for scores of residents reeling under poor amenities. But the suspense for the unapproved layouts continues.

The resolution that drinking water connections will be provided to these layouts has brought some relief, but the uneasy wait for regularisation of buildings continues.

However, the debate on the Opposition's demands last week left plenty of indications for the residents that a scheme for regularisation may not be far away.

The Mayor, T. Malaravan, himself hinted at a scheme having been evolved by the Government, but it may be announced sometime later.

Debate ends abruptly

The discussion on the plight of the residents in these layouts did not really take off as intended.

While the Opposition gave most of its protests' focus on this issue, the debate ended abruptly when the ruling party members and the Mayor accused the then Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Government of having banned utilisation of MP and MLA constituency development funds for providing amenities in unapproved layouts.

The moment the Mayor asked whether a resolution could be moved demanding withdrawal of the Government order that clamped the ban, the discussion was swiftly aborted.

`Residents anguished'

But, the Opposition demanded that the Corporation pursue this issue with the Government consistently.

The Opposition Councillors claimed that none of them was able to talk to the residents in these layouts for more than 10 minutes.

"The residents are so anguished that we cannot remain in their area for long. They are so severe on us that we dread to enter the layouts. We are sure that the AIADMK Councillors also face the same situation. Therefore, there has to be a unified effort to have the buildings regularised."

The issue of regularisation shot into focus more than two years ago when the Government announced a scheme. But, residents and the Opposition said the one-time regularisation charges were too high and held a series of demonstrations against it.

The scheme was shelved and the wait for something viable for both the Government and the people continues.

Development charges

Sources in the Corporation say that if at all a scheme has been drawn up the announcement may be timed with the Assembly elections in 2006.

After all, a viable scheme may have much stakes for the residents of thousands of layouts across the State.

However, there are quite a few issues to be sorted out. One of them is the development charges for corner sites. The present rules mandate calculation of charges on the basis of two roads along which such sites are located.

The Council last week resolved to request the Government that only the broader of the two roads should be taken into consideration for calculation of the charges and not both.

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