Kerala - Kozhikode   

Residents win battle against CDA

Special Correspondent

Court bars the development authority from selling land

KOZHIKODE: Residents at Sasthri Nagar, a housing colony established by the Calicut Development Authority (CDA) near Eranhipalam, have stalled an attempt by the CDA to sell one of the two plots that were originally meant to serve as open space for the colony residents.

The High Court in a recent order barred the CDA from selling the 58-cent open land at Sasthri Nagar. The court order came in response to a petition filed by Sasthri Nagar Welfare Committee and Sasthri Nagar Residents' Association against the CDA's decision to sell the plot to Lakshadweep Administration.

Defending the move, the CDA had taken the stand that sale of the land was necessary to clear its Rs.7 crores debt. An appeal against the High Court verdict moved by the CDA was also later dismissed. Residents' association's representatives thanked the corporation for stating the facts of the case when their petition came up in High Court.

Sasthri Nagar colony is home to nearly 334 families. More people would move into the colony soon since the zonal office of State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and staff quarters for the bank employees are also about to come up there.

For residents of the colony as well as people living in its neighbourhood, the only open space available are a 42-cent plot and the 58-cent plot the CDA unsuccessfully tried to sell.

The residents said if these plots were converted for constructing buildings, they would have to go to Kozhikode beach, which is nearly three km away, for a breath of fresh air.

CDA had promised two plots to residents in Sasthri Nagar when it sold them the land — one was for a garden and the other for a playground for a nursery.

Residents said they purchased plots in Sasthri Nagar only because CDA had made provision for open space for residents in the form of two vacant plots. Residents had complained in their petition that since number of residents in the colony had exceeded original expectations, the open space for provision was made in the colony by CDA was inadequate.

It was when CDA tried to further reduce open space by arranging for sale of one of the open plots that the residents association challenged it in the High Court.

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