Addressing the councillors during the monthly council meet at the Ripon Building, Ravi said that more than 50 such buildings in the city have shown scant regards to the mandatory rule and urged the Mayor to acquire the OSR lands and develop them in to Corporation parks and playfields.

“Particularly, posh hotels and commercial complexes in the city have not handed over the OSR land. For instance, on Arcot Road near Vadapalani, a star-rated hotel is yet to hand over about 22 grounds of OSR land; similarly, a private educational institution near Vadapalani  has been enjoying eight grounds of OSR land for the past few years. The Chennai Corporation should periodically co-ordinate with CMDA authorities and identify such OSR lands, take custody and put them to use for public utility,” said Ravi .

Pointing out that the cost of land was skyrocketing in city, Ravi said, “even the other government departments including the housing board was not ready to share land with the civic body for any development work.”  Responding to Ravi’s accusations, Mayor M Subramanian demanded that the opposition leader submit a list of such buildings for further legal action.

Emphasising that no buildings in the city would be spared if they dodged procedures a nd regulations, Subramanian recalled recent OSR land acquisitions: the compound walls of a star-rated hotel being demolished to acquire OSR land, OSR land being acquired in Aminjikarai, Nelson Manickam Road junction, from a shopping complex and the land near the State Election Commission office in Koyambedu. These plots were now being developed into Corporation parks, said the Mayor.