GCC to recover encroached lands; preserve OSR areas

CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has initiated efforts to trace land records to secure 6,000 parcels of land belonging to the civic body. These lands include Open Space Reservation (OSR) areas, playgrounds, parks, and sites where public buildings have already been constructed. Additionally, the drive will identify lands that have been encroached upon.

Once the records are traced, the data will be digitised and made publicly available on the civic body’s online portal. Officials in each of the 15 zones, with support from the Revenue Department, will ensure that the boundaries of these lands are correctly marked.

Many land records belonging to the former local bodies were not properly maintained or handed over to the GCC following the merger. Notably, during the merger of numerous villages on the outskirts of Chennai in 2011, several land records were reportedly lost. The Land and Estates Department of the GCC has already checked the revenue records of 1,500 properties. The verification of all 6,000 properties is expected to be completed this month.

Residents’ associations in several areas have called on the civic body to review the layout approved by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and data from the Registration Department to protect OSR lands for the development of parks and playgrounds. In recent years, some buildings have been constructed on OSR lands, claiming to serve public purposes.

At the latest council meeting, GCC councillors proposed the construction of public buildings on OSR lands. However, officials rejected the proposal, emphasising the need to keep such lands open to ensure residents’ safety during disasters. In the past few years, whenever the state government required an OSR land parcel, including parks, the GCC council has approved the use of these lands for major infrastructure projects such as the Metro Rail.