CHENNAI: To stop vacant lands from turning into dumping grounds and prevent water stagnation, the Tambaram City Municipal Corporation(TCMC) has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.4 lakh on 42 land owners for failing to fence or put up boundary walls on vacant properties.
According to a statement from the corporation, unfenced land gives room for garbage accumulation, stagnant water, and potential rise in mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, thereby affecting the health of nearby residents.
The civic body has issued notice to 783 owners in the last 10 days under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939, to fence the land and clear garbage from the land.
Following this, 148 owners cleaned their properties, while the corporation cleared garbage from 42 sites, recovering cleaning charges through penalties.
The corporation has requested the vacant site owners to clear their parcels of land and install protective fences around them within 15 days, failing which penalties ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh would be imposed.