Homeowner taken to task
A house owner in Pathum Thani who built a driveway that encroached on a public road was told to remove it in 15 days, according to media reports.
A photo showing the newly paved concrete driveway built over public drain and partly overlying the road was first uploaded to Facebook by user Jiravut Choengvirach.
“I have run into an unacceptable case of a private person taking advantage of common property,” Mr Jiravut wrote.
He said the other side of the road has been turned into a bike lane for public to use but the house owner had turned his side of the road into an extension of his own driveway.
“I gave the house owner a piece of my mind while the concrete was still setting. I was told to bike somewhere else as the road was wide,” Mr Jiravut said.
Netizens have accused the home owner of being selfish. Many people also wondered why local authorities have not paid attention to the apparent abuse of public property.
They did on Monday. Narong Oosap, deputy mayor of Muang Khu Khot municipality in Lam Luk Ka district, said an inspection found the driveway intruded into the public road by about 3 metres by 7 metres, according to Kapook.
Mr Narong said he told the owner to remove the structure in 15 days or face a lawsuit.
He said an initial check with people living in the estate revealed no-one dared oppose the work because they did not want to stir up trouble.
The driveway owner said he will comply with the municipality’s instruction but pleads for fairness. Other owners had built similar ramps onto the public road, he said.