The Hindu                  06.05.2013

Corporation move to crack down on plan violators builds hopes

Action to be taken against commercial complexes without parking space.

The recent decision of the Tiruchirapalli City
Corporation to take up a survey to identify and seal buildings that are
constructed without approval and in violation of approved building plans
and rules has raised expectations among the city residents and civic
activists looking for a crackdown on violators.

While
the decision has largely been welcomed, there is an undercurrent of
scepticism among civic activists as it remains to be seen whether the
civic body would exhibit the political will to carry out the task.

Apart
from buildings with plan violations, the corporation has gone on
record, perhaps for the first time, to promise action against commercial
complexes without parking space and those which have converted their
basements (shown as parking area) into commercial space.

The
corporation has also warned of action against buildings constructed in
violation of height and the mandatory no-construction space restrictions
around heritage structures.

Over the past couple of decades, much of the city development has been poorly planned and violation of rules has been rampant.

Prominent
among them is the violation of rules by several commercial buildings in
different parts of the city with civic officials turning a blind eye or
pleading helplessness citing lack of powers to demolish such
structures.

Most of the commercial complexes,
especially in the city’s bazaar areas, West Boulevard Road, Fort Station
Road, Thillai Nagar, and around Chathram Bus Stand, which have come up
in the last few years, do not have provisions for parking. Parking areas
in some of them are sorely inadequate in proportion to the number of
customers attracted by them. The basements of several commercial
complexes, cited as parking space in the building plans, have been
converted into commercial space and rented out.

In
Thillai Nagar, one could hardly make their way through parked vehicles
in front of commercial buildings to enter the cross roads. Similarly,
scores of vehicles parked in front of commercial buildings around
Chathram Bus Stand and Fort Station Road have shrunk the road space
considerably, endangering road users. More recently, the Reynolds Road
has become one long parking area following the opening of a commercial
building along the road.

“We welcome the decision and
hope that the corporation do not disappoint at least this time and
strictly enforce the rules. Since most of the commercial complexes do
not have parking areas, customers visiting the establishments, park
their vehicles on roads. The blatant violation not only causes a traffic
hazard but also robs pedestrians of the pavements,” says S.
Pushpavanam, secretary, Consumer Protection Council.

Consumer
and welfare organisations, such as his, have long been pleading for
firm action against violators. Fed up over the official apathy, Mr.
Pushpavanam is even planning to move the court through a public interest
litigation seeking relief.

“Civic authorities have
miserably failed to enforce the rules over the past 10 to 15 years
during which most of these development took place. While the corporation
decision is welcome, civic officials should proceed step by step to
remedy the situation. First, they should create adequate parking space
in commercial areas as not all the commercial buildings can be sealed or
demolished overnight,” says N. Ramakrishnan, a civic activist.

Mr.Ramakrishnan
also welcomes the corporation move to enforce buildings rules such as
the height and the distance restrictions around heritage structures in
the city.

“The corporation needs to identify all
historical structures in the city and take steps to protect them from
encroachers,” he says.