Deccan Chronicle 22.01.2010

Understaffed CMDA fails to detect violations

Jan. 21: Burdened by the plan approvals crowding its counters, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had, in August 2009, shrugged off the responsibility of issuing planning permissions in the sensitive Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Aquifer Recharge Zone areas within the metropolitan limits to St. Thomas Mount Panchayat Union and Shollinganalur town panchayat, where the localities fall. However, experts doubt these local bodies would be able to sniff out violations, given the sheer lack of manpower and technical expertise that they are plagued with.

In St. Thomas Mount Panchayat Union for example, that includes 25 villages, including the posh Neelangarai and Kottivakam, the posts in the planning section have been lying vacant more than a year now, and the cashier of the Union has doubled up as the ‘officer’ to oversee the department. “Even when we get complaints about violations, we are not able to follow them up properly, simply because our staff is already burdened with the routine work in the Union,” admits an official at the panchayat union office in Chitlapakkam. The employee who performs the ‘double-duty’ does not get paid extra for the additional work, he points out.

Though the officials cautiously maintain that the violations are mainly of the setback (the open space between the front, rear or sides of a plot and the street alignment) kind, builders say that there are flagrant Floor Space Index (FSI) violations in these vulnerable areas as well. “It is mainly the independent houses and small builders that are flouting the norms. The impact of these violations is felt especially during the monsoon, when the areas suffer from excessive flooding. The traffic situation also becomes worse because of this,” explains Mr Prakash Challa, vice- president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers if India.

The Hindu 19.01.2010

Tenders for Anna Nagar link road to be called soon: Balsamy

Special Correspondent

TIRUCHI: Tiruchi Corporation would soon call for tenders for the construction of the inner link road that would connect the Anna Nagar Main Road and Cantonment in the city, according to Commissioner T.T.Balsamy.

The project is estimated to cost about Rs.4.2 crore. The Corporation had begun preliminary works by laying kutcha roads along the Uyyankonda river and the district court complex building last year, but the work had come to a standstill after some time.

The Corporation has already obtained the ‘enter upon permission,’ for the land belonging to District Court. The Corporation has also built a compound wall for the complex as part of a land transfer agreement. However, acquisition of some private lands was yet to be completed. Corporation officials expect the process to be completed soon.

“The administrative sanction has been obtained and we would soon get the technical sanction. Tenders for the project would be called in different packages for laying the roads, building a new bridge across the Uyyakondan and construction of storm water drains,” Mr.Balsamy told The Hindu.

Tendering process

The tendering process is expected to be completed in about 45 days after which the works would begin, he said.

The new link road would have to be laid for about 685 metres at a cost of Rs.1.70 crore, while the bridge, running for a length of 35.60 metres and a width of 10.5 metres, would cost another Rs.1.70 crore.

The project is being taken up utilising a grant of Rs.1.2 crore from the Seed Capital Assistance Scheme of the Department of Town and Country Planning. The Corporation would raise Rs.1.20 crore by way of loans and contribute Rs.80 lakh.

The link road was originally proposed as part of the Karur Bypass Road, laid over a decade back.

By providing an important link across the Uyyakondan river, which runs across the city, it would ease the congestion in Thillai Nagar and Woraiyur areas.