DMK Councillor seeks city-wide survey of OSR lands, proper transfer to Corporation

CHENNAI : Alleging that Open Space Reservation (OSR) lands are yet to be properly identified and transferred to the Corporation in several parts of the city, DMK councillor M Chandran has sought a zone-wise survey of such properties and their formal takeover.

Chandran cited an instance in Ward 167, SIP Colony, where an OSR parcel was allegedly assessed for property tax, adding that officials had failed to identify it as OSR land and steps were now being taken to cancel the assessment.

He said that the issue was not confined to the particular property and urged the GCC to conduct a comprehensive survey of OSR lands across all zones. Mayor R Priya agreed that several OSR parcels were either under private maintenance or had not been handed over to the Corporation.

This was preventing the civic body from taking up public projects on some of the lands.

“Zones 11 and 13, in particular, had several locations where residents were seeking projects but the Corporation could not proceed because the land was not in its name,” she said. “Steps will be taken to identify such properties, complete the necessary transfer of records and ensure that OSR lands are secured for public use.”