The Coimbatore Corporation is set to intensify efforts to retrieve encroached Open Space Reservation (OSR) land and other public utility spaces across the city, as part of a renewed focus on protecting civic assets.

Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabakaran said builders and residents’ welfare associations that have fenced or encroached upon public open spaces, parks and roads handed over to the Corporation in approved layouts should remove the encroachments immediately. Failing this, the civic body will remove the encroachments and recover the expenditure from the persons concerned, he said.

The Commissioner said the reclaimed land will be restored for public use.

According to Corporation officials, Coimbatore has around 2,350 OSR sites spread across its 100 wards, covering more than 1,000 acres. While nearly 40% of these lands are in public use, the remaining sites are either encroached upon or lying vacant and neglected.

Officials said several parcel of OSR land have been occupied by residential buildings, apartment complexes, commercial establishments and places of worship.

The Corporation has initiated legal proceedings in around 60 cases seeking recovery of OSR lands. Of these, judgments in 25 cases have been delivered in favour of the civic body, while appeals are pending in several others.

Officials in the Town Planning wing said details of OSR lands, including encroachments, pending litigation and the status of individual sites, have been made available on the Corporation’s website under the public disclosures section.

The civic body plans to install warning boards at retrieved sites stating that the lands belong to the Corporation and that encroachment would invite penal action, officials added.