The Times of India 04.09.2012
Corporation recovers road space worth Rs 12cr
CHENNAI: Residents of
Padmanabha Nagar and Jeevaratnam Nagar in Adyar will now have a shorter
route to reach Lattice Bridge Road.The Chennai Corporation has recovered a large portion of Jeevaratnam Nagar First Street by demolishing a compound wall last week.
The road,which is a partof Jeevaratnam Nagar First Street, will lead commuters to the area's fourth street, where they can take a right turn to reach the second street which leads to the main road.
The stretch — 329 ft in length and 15ft wide — was allegedly blocked on the western end and used as a parking space by residents of a private apartment complex. Corporation officials said the blocked stretch was worth more than 12crore.Thecivicbody, acting on a complaint from a resident in December last year, began gathering legal evidence to prove that the space was a public road handed over to the corporation in 1973, when the layout for the plot was approved. When the corporation officials went to demolish the wall, the residents stopped them saying itwas a private road.
The corporation then began working on tracing out the original sale deeds and plan approvals, to legally prove the road was a property of the civic body. Officials in April managed to get hold of the original layout of Parameshwari Nagar which demarcates the 'proposed 30 feet road' and the transfer deed from the landowner N Chengappa.
Officials say the civic body served the residents association of the apartment complex a notice nearly two months ago, saying the proposed road space had to be surrendered and wall removed. The residents had then decided to tackle the issue legally.
The Ragamalika Apartments Association apex body president V S Padmavathy insisted that there was no encroachment. They also questioned the civic body's move to recover a piece of land,ignored for more than 30 years. "Why did the corporation not lay the road during these years ?" asked a resident. "The passage has been used by the occupiers and predecessors from 1976 withoutinterruption.Thusthe occupiers of the three blocks have perfected title over the passage by prescription," states the association's reply to the civic body'slegal notice.
The road,which is a partof Jeevaratnam Nagar First Street, will lead commuters to the area's fourth street, where they can take a right turn to reach the second street which leads to the main road.
The stretch — 329 ft in length and 15ft wide — was allegedly blocked on the western end and used as a parking space by residents of a private apartment complex. Corporation officials said the blocked stretch was worth more than 12crore.Thecivicbody, acting on a complaint from a resident in December last year, began gathering legal evidence to prove that the space was a public road handed over to the corporation in 1973, when the layout for the plot was approved. When the corporation officials went to demolish the wall, the residents stopped them saying itwas a private road.
The corporation then began working on tracing out the original sale deeds and plan approvals, to legally prove the road was a property of the civic body. Officials in April managed to get hold of the original layout of Parameshwari Nagar which demarcates the 'proposed 30 feet road' and the transfer deed from the landowner N Chengappa.
Officials say the civic body served the residents association of the apartment complex a notice nearly two months ago, saying the proposed road space had to be surrendered and wall removed. The residents had then decided to tackle the issue legally.
The Ragamalika Apartments Association apex body president V S Padmavathy insisted that there was no encroachment. They also questioned the civic body's move to recover a piece of land,ignored for more than 30 years. "Why did the corporation not lay the road during these years ?" asked a resident. "The passage has been used by the occupiers and predecessors from 1976 withoutinterruption.Thusthe occupiers of the three blocks have perfected title over the passage by prescription," states the association's reply to the civic body'slegal notice.
