Activists in Coimbatore push for proper identification and fencing of Open Space Reservation lands 

Activists in Coimbatore have urged the Corporation to properly identify and fence Open Space Reservation (OSR) lands, which are designated areas meant for public use and recreational facilities. These lands can be utilised for parks, playgrounds, and other public amenities.

S.P. Thiyagarajan, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Reserved Site Padhugappu Sangam, alleged that the Corporation lacks adequate funds to clean and fence these lands. He emphasised that this is crucial to prevent future encroachments and facilitate the development of public facilities, highlighting that out of more than 2,500 OSR lands in Coimbatore, only around 250 have been fenced and marked with notice boards as of 2023.

According to Corporation data, the identified OSR lands are distributed across five zones: 47 in the North, 73 in the West, 158 in the Central, 479 in the East, and 326 in the South, totalling 1,083 OSR lands in the city.

N.R. Ravishankar, an activist, expressed concern about presence of snakes in the bushes in vacant sites, besides spread of diseases. He requested that details of these sites in all the 100 wards be displayed on the corporation’s website for public view. He urged the Corporation to prioritise the removal of bushes in vacant sites located in densely populated areas.

S. Kumar, a Town Planning Officer, stated, “We have recently started to change the ownership of the identified OSR layouts to the Commissioner’s name. Once this is completed, we will begin fencing these layouts and placing notice boards. After all the work is finished, the details of each layout will be available on the CCMC website for public access.”

Published - October 04, 2024 07:27 pm IST