COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has retrieved about 24 cents of land that was encroached upon and illegally used by private individuals for about 32 years.
According to sources, Ramanathapuram Co-operative House Building Society Ltd. had built an office on 3 cents of the 25 cents of land owned by the civic body at Tiruvalluvar Nagar in Ward 62 of the Central Zone at Ramanathapuram. The land had been illegally encroached on by the society members.
While occupying the corporation land for about 32 years, the association continued being negligent and encroached on the CCMC land despite several notices issued by the civic body officials. In this situation, the civic body officers led by Assistant Town Planning Officer (ATPO) Sathya went to the premises on Friday to lock and seal the building.
At that time, a few political party members arrived at the spot and started an argument with the officials. After a heated exchange, the belongings in the office were taken out by the society members and the building was sealed by the officials.
Sources said that the society had filed a case in the Madras High Court and the verdict came in favour of the CCMC.
Subsequently, the town planning department of the CCMC issued a notice to remove the encroachments last month. However, the encroachments weren’t removed by the society.
In this situation, the CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran had issued an order to take down the encroachments and retrieve the corporation’s land. Officials retrieved 25 cents worth Rs 7.2 crore. The CCMC will take necessary action to demolish the building, added the sources.