TNHB plans new packages for landowners in Thirumazhisai Satellite Township scheme

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Housing Board is opening up all channels of negotiations with land-owners and has come up with special packages in a bid to implement Satellite Town Scheme at Thirumazhisai, according to sources.

Sources said TNHB has come out with four packages to implement the scheme in 311.05 acres of land that will consist of 12,000 dwelling units at an estimated cost of Rs 2,160 crore. 

The proposals include allotting 2,400 square feet of developed plot without charging the basic cost to the family from whom three to five acres of land was acquired.  To allot 1,200 square feet of developed plot to those owning one to 2.99 acres of land besides allotting 800 square feet of developed plot to those whose 25 to 99 cents of land were acquired, the sources said.

There is also a proposal to provide employment opportunity in accordance with qualification and vacancy in Tamil Nadu Housing Board to the family members of the ex-land owners where lands exceeding 5 acres were acquired from a single owner, the sources added.

The proposal to build the satellite township came into being in 1998 when Tamil Nadu Housing Board proposed to acquire 1694.98 acres of patta lands in Vellavedu, Kuthambakkam, Narasingapuram, Chembarambakkam, Parvatharajapuram villages of  Poonamallee Taluk in Thiruvalllur District. The move was opposed by the villagers and as many as 60 petitions are pending in the fast track court in Poonamalee seeking higher compensation. There was also a plea by political parties not to acquire cultivable land and the government later issued a Government Order stating that an extent of 466.49 acres will only be utilized for the scheme and acquisition for the remaining area already notified will be dropped.

Interestingly, sources claimed that there are no writ petitions and writ appeals pending against 310.42 acres of land acquired for the project.

Sources said an award amount was directly paid to 119 land owners covering an extent of 104.96 acres amounting to Rs 1.47 crore. A sum of Rs 1.39 crore has been kept under Civil Court Deposit under Section 30 & 31 (2) of land acquisition act for 199 land owners covering an extent of 101.20 acres. Similarly, a sum of Rs.1.21 crore has been  kept under revenue deposit for 81 land owners covering an extent of 104.89 acres.