The Hindu : Front Page : Open space reservation sites unused

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 05, 2007
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Open space reservation sites unused

J. Malarvizhi

CHENNAI: Close to 40 sites handed over to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) by private builders to be developed into parks or playfields are lying unused.

The issue came up for discussion at a consultation with Chennai Corporation councillors on the Second Draft Master Plan on Saturday.

While the CMDA and the Corporation accused each other of inactivity, Corporation officials alleged that less than one-fifth of these sites abutted a public road. CMDA officials said the Authority had ensured that open space reservation (OSR) sites were either on a public road or had some other form of access.

OSR sites should be handed over to the government by developers. If a developer takes up 4,000 square metres, 10 per cent of the land exceeding 3,000 square metres, in this case, 100 square metres, or money equivalent to the worth of the area should be handed over to the CMDA.

For sites falling under the Corporation, till five years ago the developers were expected to hand over the land to the local body directly. Since this process involved a long procedural delay, the CMDA started taking over the land, officials said.

Of the few hundred sites registered in this period, most went to the local bodies other than the Corporation in the Chennai Metropolitan Area, as much of the large-scale development is taking place outside the city limits.

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