Chennai: Indecisiveness on the part of Greater Chennai Corporation on how best to use a piece of land in Anna Nagar West it had originally set aside to develop into a children’s park has left it to the mercy of land-grabbers.
According to residents of Welcome Colony, a Tamil Nadu Housing Board developed area, a block of land measuring 27 cents was set aside to be developed into a play area. But even 30 years after, it was never developed and the land eventually came to be used as a make-shift playground.
In 2015, the corporation awarded a tender to a contractor to set up playing equipment for children and pave a walking surface. “Work had only started last week when the contractor unloaded the playing equipment. Two days later, a few ruffians landed here and stopped the contractor from working. When we objected, the gang said they were relatives to the ward councillor,” said a resident, requesting anonymity.
“This was the only plot of land remaining from the initial layout that is abutting a road and with vehicle access. The land value is over Rs 15 crore. We are a little worried that if the Corporation does not act with haste that it may end up in the wrong hands,” said another resident.
Ward 90 councillor, S. Andrews, could not be reached for comment. When DC contacted local corporation officials, they sought to clarify that there was no dispute as far as land ownership was concerned.
“We wanted to develop a children’s park on the plot because the home owners in the locality preferred to have one. But the Anna Nagar area youth association objected saying that they would like to keep it as an open playground. We are in the process of identifying a quick solution to the dispute,” said an official.
