Over 300 families in Tondiarpet, Alandur & Sholinganallur to receive pattas for poramboke land

CHENNAI: A month after the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had passed a resolution to issue pattas for those who have been living on poramboke lands for more than 10 years, the Land and Estate department, which issues the patta, has selected over 300 families to receive the important land ownership document.

Decision taken in the monthly council meeting held at the Ripon Building on Monday, the action was taken after the Chennai District Collector requested the local body to issue patta for families residing on lands classified as road, carriage road, path, field, cemetery/graveyard, and corporation public.

A few months back, the Tamil Nadu government had relaxed the norms on regularisation of encroachments on poramboke lands in localities within a radius of 32 km from the city. As many as 461 families have been living on poramboke lands in Tondiarpet, Alandur and Sholinganallur zones. Out of which, 334 families have been selected to receive patta.

The families have been living in flats and cement-roofed houses for more than 20 years. Most of them are employed in firms and companies in both private and public sectors, while some others are daily wagers.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor M Magesh Kumaar came up with a revenue-generating idea for the GCC. “There are a lot of public spaces in the city that are being used for free for parking. The Corporation can earn money by monetising these spaces,” he informed Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran at the council meeting. “Since such places are already used as parking spaces, the civic body can collect charges from motorists.”

TEXCO (Tamil Nadu Ex-Servicemen Corporation) manages parking at Marina Beach, as authorised by the Chennai Corporation, and their contract was extended recently.