Chennai Corporation to take over Manali New Town area

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Manali New Town area will get a fresh lease of life after being handed over to Chennai Corporation.

Created as a satellite township area in the 1980s, the area lacked basic infrastructure services like road facilities, street lights and other amenities as it was yet to be handed over to the local bodies.

Now, Chennai Corporation will take over the roads, drains and other sites meant for civic infrastructure and facilities in Manali New Town area developed by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.

CMDA sources said that they have handed over the project to Corporation, which is awaiting the nod of council.

Interestingly, the state exchequer is also losing out on property tax as the scheme area is not vested with local body. The other major issue plaguing the satellite township area is encroachment.

Sources said on approval of the council, CMDA and Chennai Corporation will carry out joint exercise in enumerating the encroachers in the scheme area and carry out joint operation in evicting the encroachers. It is learnt that the 300 residential huts have encroached the road margins of wider main roads, scattered all over the scheme area.

At a meeting held recently under the chairmanship of member secretary of CMDA R Venkatesan with Chennai Corporation chairman D Karthikeyan, it was also decided that CMDA will complete the task of clear demarcation of the sites reserved for various civic and social facilities that are required to be handed over to Chennai Corporation.

The meeting also decided that CMDA would complete the task of clear demarcation of the sites reserved for various civic and social facilities that would be handed over to Chennai Corporation.

The meeting also highlighted non-collection of Rs 82 crore worth development charges and open space reservation (OSR) charges. The issue is likely to be discussed during a separate meeting with corporation officials, CMDA sources said.

Meanwhile, Chennai Metropolitan Development authority is going to develop 20 acres of land in Manali New Town. CMDA sources told Express that, “CMDA will sell those plots. We have given tenders for developing the land.”

It is believed that around 300 residential type plots would be created and sold.