The Deccan Chronicle 18.08.2010
State has most illegal structuresAug. 17: In Tamil Nadu more illegal structures on public land than any other state. With a massive 77,453 such buildings across the state, including unauthorised religious structures, it is little wonder free flow of traffic is hindered in many TN cities. The state government recently submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court disclosing the number of unauthorised religious structures in parks and on streets which need to be removed, replaced or regularised.
Tamil Nadu is followed by Rajasthan with 58,253 such structures and Madhya Pradesh, with 51,624. According to sources, the Supreme Court bench has sought an action plan from the state government to identify such structures and come out with an action plan to remove them.
The court had also directed the governments to frame a policy to check the mushrooming of unauthorised religious structures in public places, including streets and parks. Maharashtra has 17,385 such structures, Gujarat 15,000 and Karnataka 2,814.
In Tamil Nadu, there are state- and district-level committees to tackle the issue. “If the committee finds a structure was built unlawfully and is causing inconvenience to the people, it will be removed. The committee meets periodically and analyses cases one by one,” a senior official said. If a structure has historical value, the authorities have been asked to provide suitable sites for its relocation.
The Chennai Corporation, prompted by the high court, has identified around 150 illegal religious structures mostly in north Chennai. While the civic body has ordered eviction of these illegal structures as they affect traffic flow, efforts to remove the encroachments are progressing at snail’s pace.“We have removed 30 such religious structures encroached upon city roads so far. The list is long and we will remove other structures in due course of time. We are focusing mainly on arterial roads and bus routes,” mayor M. Subramaniam told Deccan Chronicle.
