VELLORE: The city Corporation has decided to disconnect water supply and property tax assessment for 20 buildings in Sathuvachari area. A resolution to this effect was adopted at the council meeting chaired by Mayor P Karthiyayini on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Janaki Ravindran said the 20 buildings were found to have been constructed on encroached land which was earmarked for a playground and community centre respectively by the erstwhile Sathuvachari Town panchayat, which is now under the Corporation.
Responding to a question, the Commissioner said the civic body had already taken legal action against the owners of these buildings under the Land Grabbing Act, which has been contested by the owners. At present there is no legal restriction on the Corporation but the further course of action would be decided only after the court gives its direction. In the meanwhile the Corporation has the right to impose restrictions on these illegal constructions, she added.
Another resolution authorised the Corporation to seek the services of the Tamil Nadu Urban Financial Infrastructure Development Corporation (TUFIDCO) to do the ground work for upgrading Vellore into a smart city. Vellore is among 12 cities in TN considered for the Smart City programme and the central government has asked the local body to submit its proposal within the next 100-days. The State level committee on July 31 had conveyed the selection of Vellore for smart city upgradation of Vellore through the TUFIDCO to the central government. The council has decided to approach the TUFIDCO to scrutinise tenders, appointment of consultants, etc, to carry out various components of the smart city programme such as drinking water management, solid and liquid waste management, transport, e-governance and other public services related activities.
The Corporation also decided to construct 23 public toilets in selected wards at a cost of `4.37 crore with `2.3 crore as government subsidy and the remaining as Corporation contribution. The council has also given its approval to restore roads to an extent of 30 km.(which were damaged due to rains and other disasters) in various parts of the city at an estimated cost of `16 crore under special road scheme this year.