CHENNAI: The Defence Colony in Ekkaduthangal, a posh housing colony originally set up for and by senior officers, has allegedly refused to hand over 4.4 acres of land earmarked for Open Space Reservation (OSR) and roads which have in turn stalled developmental activities in the colony.
Despite a Madras High Court direction and multiple notices from various State government agencies, office bearers of the Defence Colony cooperative housing society has allegedly refused to cooperate.
The cooperative society was initially formed by retired and serving civil service officers in 1966 when it was still within the Nandabakkam panchayat limits. However, the society had decided to construct and maintain roads, sewer lines and storm water drains using their own funds. Until today, the society has not handed over the roads and 10% OSR land in violation of the Chennai Development Control Rules (DCR).
In 1989, the society approached the Madras High Court after the local panchayat asked it to hand over the roads and OSR lands. Though the writ petition was disposed of in the same year, the society went on to construct clubs, tennis courts and commercial establishments in areas originally intended for setting up of parks and schools.
“The club hall is regularly rented out for marriages and other private functions by the office bearers. The tennis court is used by an individual who runs coaching classes privately,” said TM Sriram, a Defence Colony resident since 1998. He added that the mango groves were leased out and the other members of the society have no idea as to what these funds are used for.
In 2011, the housing society was brought under the Greater Chennai Corporation limit and the issue of construction and maintenance of roads, SWDs and streetlights came up for discussion during the 2014 Council meeting.
A resolution was adopted stating that though new roads in the locality could serve as an important link to KK Nagar and Burma Colony, the civic body will not be able to take up related activities unless roads and OSR lands were handed over to them.
Even after the civic body sent a strongly-worded letter (a copy of which is available with Express) in January threatening to ‘stop conservancy operations’, the society didn’t budge.
Responding to this, Rajesh Mathews, president of the Defence Colony cooperative housing society, said that he had already written to the GCC and the Chennai Metropolitan Co-operative Housing Society in March, asking them to take over the roads. “In 1966 when the society was registered, there was no rule to reserve 10% of land as a part of OSR,” he added.
Responding to a query on constructing a club on the land earmarked for a school, Mathews said that they didn’t have enough funds and will convert their office space into a school whenever they manage to gather adequate funds.
However, the Tamil Nadu Parks, Playfield and Open Spaces (Preservation and Regulations) Act which came into effect in 1959, seven years before the society was established, prohibits the use of OSR land for other purposes.
Assistant Commissioner of Alandur zone, GCC, S Ramamoorthy said that since the society hasn’t responded to their requests on handing over the land through gift deed, the authorities themselves are preparing a model layout based on available information, following which the roads would be surveyed so that the reserved public space can be taken over.
The deputy registrar of the co-operative housing society who supervises the functioning of all the housing societies in the city was unavailable for comment.
Untreated sewage let into Adyar river
A Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was set up in 1966 when the society was formed as many of the residents did not want septic tanks in their bungalows. This plant has remained defunct for years and untreated sewage from the 230 houses in the posh locality has been let out into the Adyar river for which the government has already spent several crores so far for restoration. The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) also remains a mute spectator since the reserved public spaces were not handed over to the government.