TRICHY: The Trichy corporation has initiated a campaign to identify neglected vacant plots in residential areas and locate property owners to issue notices according to the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act of 1939. So far, the local authority has sent out 170 notices, urging property owners to remove overgrown weeds and level their land to prevent water stagnation during the monsoon.
Due to a lack of regular maintenance, shrubs often conceal these properties, and neighbors frequently use the abandoned sites as dumping grounds. Residents and large waste generators are also reported to use vacant lots along major roads for disposing of electronic, garden, and construction waste, exacerbated by the corporation’s ineffective waste collection services.
In a recent council meeting, councillors, particularly those representing peripheral wards, expressed concerns that unkept vacant plots tarnish the corporation’s public services. Issues like mosquito breeding and reptile infestations have been noted in areas such as Khajamalai, Vayalur Road, KK Nagar, and Thiruverumbur due to stagnant water. They emphasized that the property owners are responsible for the neglect.
In response to these complaints, Mayor Mu Anbalagan has instructed the health department to identify ill-maintained vacant plots and penalize their owners. The city has approximately 18,177 vacant plots. While property owners are obligated to pay annual vacant plot taxes, the corporation reports that many pay only when they decide to construct on the land.
“All 25 sanitary inspectors have begun issuing notices in their wards. Property owners must clean and level their plots within a week; otherwise, we will handle the cleanup and impose penalties, including additional charges. Owners who are non-compliant will incur significant costs when clearing their tax dues to develop or sell their land,” stated a senior corporation official.
Officials indicated that owners of poorly maintained properties posing public health risks have been summoned to clean their plots.
