The Hindu            19.11.2011

Committee rap for Corporation, CMDA on sealing of buildings

Aloysius Xavier Lopez

The High Court-appointed monitoring committee, which met
on Friday, directed Chennai Corporation, Chennai Metropolitan
Development Authority and other local bodies in the Chennai Metropolitan
Area to commence work on converting files pertaining to regularisation
applications of buildings to digital format.

It
expressed dissatisfaction over the enforcement action taken by CMDA and
the Corporation in T. Nagar. Also, it blamed their failure to convert
files into digital format for the “total chaos prevailing in the CMDA”.

“We
reviewed the enforcement action in T.Nagar on 62 buildings. CMDA was
able to seal only six buildings. We expressed our dissatisfaction on the
total chaos,” said M.G.Devasahayam, monitoring committee member.

“All files should be in digital format. The government should also not protect violators,” he added.

As
a first step, the committee stressed the need for converting all files
pertaining to the 65,529 applications submitted for regularisation in
Chennai.

In 2006, the Madras High Court struck down
various schemes introduced by the government to regularise unauthorised
construction and upheld only the scheme that was announced in 1999.

This
meant that unauthorised buildings completed before February 28, 1999
alone qualified for regularisation. As a result, about 25,000
applications of the 65,529 submitted for regularisation were rejected.
The monitoring committee also called for streamlining the entire process
of approval. The committee would meet again in the first week of
December.

The Supreme Court last week ordered status
quo in respect of 27 shops and establishments that had been sealed in
the T. Nagar area for violations.

The court
restrained the authorities from sealing other shops or demolition of
buildings (including the 27 shops that had been sealed) pursuant to the
show cause notices issued to them.

The Bench made it
clear there should be no further sealing or demolition. In respect of
the shops already sealed, the Bench asked the High Court to pass
appropriate directions after hearing the petitioners when the matter is
taken up on November 30.

The Chennai Corporation
sealed 21 buildings and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority
sealed six buildings on October 31.