CHENNAI: Residents of Manapakkam can soon heave a sigh of relief as Officers Training Academy (OTA), Indian Army’s training establishment, has finally agreed to allow access to the controversial burial ground to residents, largely Dalit Christians.
It is learnt through reliable government sources that officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and revenue department (Kancheepuram district) surveyed the site on Friday and land transfer proceedings will be initiated soon. For nearly 40,000 residents in Manapakkam, the 3.5 acres of land near the electricity board office is the only recognised burial ground in the vicinity.
In 2012, OTA constructed a compound wall to protect their residential quarters, thereby blocking access to the burial ground, alleged former Manapakkam corporation ward councillor M Pandian. There was uncertainty over ownership of the burial ground and access road connecting this site with the main road. In 1972, OTA gave 35 acres of its land to Airport Authority of India (AAI) for expansion works on condition that the state government will transfer equal portion of land as compensation. Subsequently, 35 acres of government-owned land near Manapakkam was transferred to OTA without demarcating the burial site and the access road located within this segment.
The Kancheepuram district administration claimed that the transfer was made on conditions that access to the burial site will not be denied on any condition. Accordingly, people were allowed to use the site after obtaining prior permission from the OTA’s authorities.
Before being brought under Corporation’s control in 2011, this piece of land was in Manapakkam panchayat limit. Except for minor squabbles in 1996 between the panchayat and OTA regarding relaying of the access road and renovation of the ground, there was no major concern for both the parties whatsoever until late 2000s when the Army wanted to build a compound wall blocking the access road. Despite the local grama sabha adopting resolutions opposing this and sending representations to various government agencies, OTA went on to build the wall in 2012 i.e., a year after it was brought under Corporation limit.
“In September 2015, the entry was completely barred and OTA objected burying bodies in the site. This led to a few law and order-related issues,” said ex-councillor Pandian. Consequently, locals started using Adyar river bank and a barren land in Sathya Nagar (not recognised as burial ground by the revenue department) to cremate the dead bodies and the issue was taken up for discussion during the July 2016 Corporation council meet.
The then corporation mayor Saidai S Duraisamy vowed to reclaim the ‘encroached’ land from the Army and informed the council that according to gram sabha map, portion of the burial ground and wall belonged to the veterinary department under the state government (survey number 217, 216/2, 218/2, 230/2) and the rest was poromboke land. “Only the access path belonged to the Army (survey number 238),” he added.
He also refuted OTA’s claims that the 35-acre land was yet to be transferred completely.
Representations were sent to OTA authorities in this regard and nearly one year down the line after several round of talks, it is learnt that OTA has given its nod for allowing access to the burial ground. “Surveyors from Alandur Taluk (Kancheepuram district) and land & estate department (OTA) will again be inspecting the site on Friday in this regard to finalise the demarcation,” sources said. Confirming this, S Ramamoorthy, assistant commissioner of Alandur zone in GCC said, “On completion of the transfer proceedings, the Corporation will begin construction of a six-foot compound wall at one crore rupees”.