Officials from the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation's town planning department are facing serious allegations of misconduct. They have been accused of dishonestly closing a public petition regarding road encroachments without taking any real action. Instead of removing illegal structures, they allegedly attached unrelated photographs to show the work as done.
Association Files Complaint with Mayor
The Karumbukadai-Saramedu Area Association brought this issue to light by submitting a formal complaint to Mayor R Ranganayaki on Friday. The core of their grievance revolves around the handling of their petitions against encroachments on the vital Saramedu-Karumbukadai Road.
The association's representatives first raised the issue at the corporation's official grievance redressal meeting on December 16. When they later checked the status of their petition, they were shocked to find it marked as closed, with no visible action on the ground. Undeterred, they filed the same petition again on December 23.
A Pattern of Negligence and False Documentation
The response to the second petition revealed a disturbing pattern. The file was once again closed, but this time, officials had attached photographs supposedly proving the removal of encroachments. However, these photos were reportedly from Race Course, a completely different location, and not from the Saramedu-Karumbukadai Road area mentioned in the petition.
Moideen Abdul Kadar, a resident of Safa Garden and an association member, provided detailed insights. "We petitioned to remove encroachments on the Saramedu area, and the officials have attached photos of removing encroachments in Race Course," he stated. He identified S Manjuladevi, a junior engineer, as the official who assigned and closed the case.
Kadar further explained the failure following the first petition. He said officials did visit the site on December 16, but left abruptly after a couple of people showed a 'patta' copy, declaring the complaint baseless. He emphasized that it was the assistant town planning officer's duty to verify the authenticity of such documents, especially since the encroachments are on a designated 60-foot scheme road. Adding to the confusion, the closed status was recorded under the name of a retired officer who hasn't been at the post for three months.
Mayor's Assurance and Promise of Action
When contacted by the media, Mayor R Ranganayaki responded to the allegations. She assured that the matter would be brought to the attention of the municipal commissioner. The mayor took a firm stance, stating, "If there have been faults, action will be initiated against the person concerned." This promise of accountability is a key development in the ongoing issue of civic management and public grievance redressal in Coimbatore.
The incident raises significant questions about the efficiency and transparency of the system meant to address citizen complaints. It highlights a potential failure in the mechanism designed to protect public property, such as scheme roads, from illegal occupation. The residents' fight against the encroachments continues as they await concrete action from the civic authorities.
