Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Residents throng housing board office for sale deeds

Staff Reporter

Board or Govt. asked to absorb the cost escalations

FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE: The residents of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board colonies across the district sitting inside the housing board office at Sivananda Colony in the city on Monday demanding sale deeds for their houses. - PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

Coimbatore: Hundreds of residents living in the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) houses in various colonies thronged the board office at Sivananda Colony on Monday seeking sale deeds at the earliest.

The residents under the banner Orunkinaintha Tamil Nadu Veetu Vasathi Variya Pirivu Othukeetalargal Nala Sangam in their memorandum accused the board of having made the allottees wait endlessly for a sale deed for the last 16 to 36 years despite them having paid the cost of the land and the house. They accused the Housing Board of seeking excuse under the pending land acquisition litigations, thus harassing nearly three lakh people living in 50,000-odd houses across the district. The board was also accused of delaying the process of resolving the litigations and in giving away the sale deeds to houses in sites that were not involved in any litigation.

Sangam convener D. Perumal and secretary K. Jeyachandran led the residents. A posse of police personnel led by Assistant Commissioners of Police K. Kumarasami (Law and Order - Central), R. Chakravarthy (Law and Order - West) pacified the agitators. Revenue Divisional Officer G.S. Ramadoss and Tahsildar (Coimbatore North), Santhanam held talks with the agitators.

The Board was solely responsible for the escalation in the cost of land/houses by developing and selling houses/sites on lands involved in disputes or land acquisition litigations.

Land prices

The delay on the part of the board in finalisation of land prices in acquisition had led to steep hike in prices owing to interest, penal interest and interest accrued on capital. Hence, the Board or the Government was urged to absorb the cost escalations and give away the sale deeds as per the prices in the agreement entered into by the buyer and the board.

The memorandum also urged the Government to appoint a chairman for the high-level committee constituted for resolving the issue. In future to avoid such hardship to those who buy houses and sites from the Housing Board out of trust as a government agency, the Government was urged to ensure that the projects were undertaken only after the litigations and disputes relating to acquisition were resolved. Government should also ensure that Section 18 and Part III of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 was adhered to, the memorandum added.

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's announcement that those living in Government `poromboke' land for 10 years could own the site was also cited by the residents recalling their plight in getting a sale deed for decades for the houses for which they had already paid up.

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