Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLA N. Karthik on Monday urged the Coimbatore district administration to postpone evicting the residents who had encroached upon government land in Kumarasamy Colony, Sundapalayam Road.
In his petition submitted at the weekly grievance redress day meeting on Monday, the MLA said if the administration were to evict the residents who had been living there for the past three generations and move them to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenements in Malumichampatty, they would lose their livelihood and the children easy access to school. The residents were economically and socially backward and daily wagers.
The administration should instead look at relocating them by giving them plots in Veerakeralam under a government scheme.
Mr. Karthik reminded the administration that when the Coimbatore Corporation decided to evict them in 2011, the then Commissioner agreed to explore the possibility of giving them alternative dwelling places in Veerakeralam.
Better compensation sought
In another petition, Mr. Karthik urged the administration to enhance the compensation to be given to people who will lose their land, house to the Coimbatore airport expansion project. He said the residents were not against the expansion but demanded only the right compensation. The district administration should recommend to the State Government to provide three cent land to each of the residents who would lose their property. At the time of negotiating the compensation, the administration had fixed ₹500 a sq.ft in 2017. But since 15 months had passed after the price was fixed, the government should enhance the compensation to ₹3,000 a sq.ft. after factoring in the increase in land price and other goods.
The administration should also recommend to the government to ensure that there was no deduction at the time of giving the compensation and give priority to them while filling up vacancies in government jobs. It should also provide alternative transport arrangements to enable students in families that would lose their property attend school or college.
Cremation grounds
Bharat Sena members on Monday urged the Coimbatore district administration to throw open all cremation grounds to members of all communities. In its petition, the members said most cremation grounds were exclusive to one community or the other and people from others could not cremate the dead there. At a time when people were calling for caste-less society, it was imperative to make all cremation grounds open for all.
White fly menace
Farmers affiliated to the AIKS faction of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association have urged the district administration to take steps to control the white fly menace. In their petition, the farmers said though the Agriculture Department had assured them that the menace would decrease after the onset of monsoon, it had not happened.
In fact, the fly menace had only increased. Coconut, banana, guava, brinjal, tapioca, cotton, rye, sugarcane, lemon, chilli and several such long-term and short-term crops were affected. The affected crops’ productivity had come down raising fear of losing income in farmers. The farmers suggested that the administration should recommend to the government to nominate a nodal officer in each district where the white fly menace was prevalent. They also wanted the government to distribute free the pesticides and equipment necessary to fight the fly.
Better road sought
Residents of Ayyappa Nagar in Ward 100 of the Coimbatore Corporation have sought better roads, improved street light coverage and other basic amenities in their petition submitted to the district administration. The residents said the work to construct a 7.50-lakh-litre water tank at ₹1.30 lakh was under way in the area.
The movement of lorries carrying construction materials and heavy vehicles that enable the work had left several roads damaged and that had inconvenienced the 150-odd residents in the area. Recent rain had only worsened the conditions of the roads. Absence of sewerage facility in the locality had resulted in residents discharging sewage in the open, on to the roads.
This had caused mosquito menace. They wanted the Coimbatore Corporation to develop a park and walking track in the reserved site and improve street light coverage.