The Hindu 07.01.2010
Corporation finds support for its demolition drive
Special Correspondent
| Encroachments on space meant for parking to be removed |
Photo: M. Periasamy 
ENFORCING RULES: Coimbatore Corporation workers removing an unauthorised structure in an apartment during one of the drives to restore parking space. —
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation appears to have found support for its drive to retrieve parking space in buildings, including commercial complexes, in the city.
The civic body has formed a special squad that demolishes shops or residential structures that encroach upon space meant only for parking.
The Corporation has taken a stern view of the congestion caused by the parking of vehicles on roads because space for this purpose has not been provided in the buildings.
The Corporation is happy that a few building owners have knocked down the unauthorised structures and created space for parking.
A multi-storeyed garment store is even into providing hydraulic parking facility in the basement, where it had put up some shop structures in violation of building rules.
But, providing greater encouragement to its drive is the appreciation of councillors, including some of those who have been highly critical of some aspects of the Corporation’s functioning.
A consumer body that moved the High Court against these unauthorised constructions and unsafe also points out the court’s appreciation of the civic body’s efforts to restore parking space.
“Action has to be sustained. Otherwise, the violations will return to frustrate the Corporation and the public,” says Corporation North Zone Chairman and leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the Council C. Padmanabhan.
The councillor says: “I said at the December 29 meeting in the Council that sustained monitoring by officials at the level of Junior Engineers would serve as a deterrent to violations. I suggest this because the opinion on the current drive is that it is completely an initiative of the Corporation Commissioner (Anshul Mishra). What is being done now should continue forever. Earlier initiatives had stopped after a couple of demolitions.”
Parking spaces must be earmarked across the city. Special teams must be formed to carry out this task.
As for buildings, the mandatory parking space must be provided and its custody must be with the local body.
There is scope for violation only when the parking space’s control is with the building owner, Mr. Padmanabhan contends.
Coimbatore Consumer Cause secretary K. Kathirmathiyon says that while disposing of his petition, the High Court had appreciated the efforts of the Corporation in forming special squads to remove unauthorised constructions.
While the court appreciated the efforts of the consumer body in highlighting the violations, it said: “We also appreciate the immediate response of the officers of the City Municipal Corporation, Coimbatore.”
