The Hindu 20.05.2010
Removal of encroachments will continue: Corporation
Special Correspondent
| Nearly 20 demolitions have been carried out since last December |
— Photo:M. Periasamy. 
Clean city: Corporation workers removing unauthorised structures at R.S.Puram in the city on Saturday.
COIMBATORE: By carrying out demolitions almost every other day, the Coimbatore Corporation is sending a strong message that it will not allow unauthorised constructions to stay on in the city. The choice is between the owners of the structures themselves demolishing these or the Corporation doing it. Either way, the structures will be removed.
“Our achievement is very good so far,” says Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra. The drive was on at a brisk pace in the early stages. Now, it has been slowed down to enable the Town Planning wing to concentrate on land acquisition and related issues for the infrastructure works for the World Classical Tamil Conference.
But, those that need immediate intervention to enable road works are being taken up. “The drive is continuing across the city, though the pace has been slowed down deliberately to accommodate other pressing works. It will be intensified soon after the conference,” the Commissioner said.
The Corporation says the bulk of the structures removed so far had been put up by commercial establishments, with most of these being encroachment of space meant for parking vehicles. Three of these were in commercial complexes at R.S. Puram.
The Corporation is particularly severe on structures encroaching parking space and obstructing flow of traffic. And, these include temples that have come up on roads. The sources say that identifying the unauthorised structures, preparing a list of these and carrying out demolition will be a continuous process till the city is rid of all such constructions.
Nearly 20 demolitions have been carried out since the special demolition squad of the Corporation was pressed into service by Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra on December 17 last year.
Land required to lay link roads had been retrieved from encroachers on N.S.R. Road at Saibaba Colony, at Pappanaickenpalayam, near Nava India Road, at Munuswamy Nagar at Ramanathapuram, Sivananda Colony and Kathiravan Gardens.
Temples had been removed at a number of places with the consent of the local people. The areas included Velandipalayam, Kovilmedu, Masakalipalayam Road, Kamarajarpuram Road and Syrian Church Road. Automobile workshops that reduced roads to a chicken neck were also removed.
The civic body had also cracked down on unauthorised constructions in residential premises. An official gave an instance of an apartment builder putting up an additional structure on a space meant for parking and another on an open space without obtaining plan approval.
The Corporation and the National Highways removed unauthorised structures east of Aathupaalam.
People who had put up similar structures on the western side removed these on Saturday.
The same day the Corporation removed an unauthorised structure being constructed by a commercial complex on D.B. Road at R.S. Puram.
