With the State Government introducing regularisation scheme for unapproved plots and layouts in May this year, about 6,000 applications were submitted by property owners in Coimbatore district. An official of the Local Planning Authority said that when the applications are filtered, there could be three or four applications for regularisation of plots in the same layout. Property owners can apply for regularisation till May 3 next year. Those who apply should submit the sketch of the layout.

Since the applications are submitted online, many say the layout sketch is not available. Those who have sketches of unapproved layouts can also give a copy at the LPA office.

The official pointed out that the applicant gives the Encumbrance Certificate only for plot to be regularised. However, under the scheme the officials need to take the EC for the other plots too as OSR land should be earmarked from the unsold sites. Only then can the layout be approved.

K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said in many places, property owners have constructed the building and are using it for a long time.

Hence, they might not be going in for regularisation. However, this is an opportunity to regularise the building and it should not be wasted. If not regularised, the plot remains unauthorised and there could be several problems because of it in the future.

He also condemned the provision to regularise buildings even if there is no space for parking, condonable on payment of charges. This will be 100 % violation of parking norms, he said. Most of the buildings leave parking area in the plan. But, construct the building without the area. All the vehicles of the residents of the building and those visiting them are parked outside. The built area on the space earmarked for parking could be removed if the building should be regularised. Further, there should be specific conditions in the scheme for regularisation of public and semi public buildings.

The Tiruchi City Corporation (TCC), which has set a target to improve its clean city ranking (Swachh Survekshan-2018) from the current sixth position, has released a logo for its clean city campaign.

The logo will be featured on all correspondence, pamphlets, posters and awareness material on the clean city initiatives. Besides the image of Mahatma Gandhi’s spectacle, which is the symbol of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) of the Central government, an image of Rockfort temple, an iconic symbol of Tiruchi, and a person cleaning with a broom figure on the logo.

N. Ravichandran, Special Officer cum Commissioner, who released the logo, said it was aimed at creating awareness among the citizens of Tiruchi to cooperate with the civic administration in making the city the No. 1 cleanest city in the country. All letters, correspondence and awareness materials of the clean city campaign would bear the logo.

“We can achieve the No. 1 rank only with the active participation of citizens. I hope the clean city campaign will create a sense of eagerness among the citizens on improving Tiruchi’s national ranking,” Mr. Ravichandran told The Hindu .

He said the Corporation had appointed Mylswamy Annadurai, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru, as its brand ambassador for the campaign. It would enable the Corporation to take forward the agenda of reaching out to the citizens on all aspects of the campaign.

Mr. Ravichandran said the Corporation had ordered 85 small load carriers at a cost of Rs. 4.5 crore for streetwise garbage collection. Each vehicle would cost Rs. 5.20 lakh. The vehicles were set to be delivered shortly, taking the number of light weight load carriers to 140 from 55. The new vehicles would gradually replace the hired load carriers.