The Times of India 10.12.2010
27 unauthorised buildings sealed, 6,500 more to go
CHENNAI: At least 27 buildings have been sealed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) in the Chennai metropolitan area during the last three years for development violations. Going by official records, the agency has a long way to go — it is learnt that at least 6,438 new buildings that have cropped up during the same period have violated development control rules.
The shocking revelation was made in a report submitted at a meeting of a HC-appointed monitoring committee at the CMDA office on Wednesday. The report said 9,816 residential buildings, 698 commercial buildings, 20 institutional ones and 66 industries had been inspected by the CMDA, Chennai corporation and various other bodies. Violations range from unauthorised additional floors, lack of setback and irregularities concerning usage, floor space index and parking norms. Incidentally, barring the CMDA, none of the local bodies has shown interest in taking any action.
These structures have come up after July 27, 2007, the day an ordinance was passed to regularise structures violating rules and built prior to that date.
"Enforcement has wholly collapsed. Agencies like CMDA and corporation are helpless when major violators are protected by the government, which has even gone to the extent of issuing ordinances and enacting laws," said MG Devasahayam, former IAS officer and member of the panel constituted by HC to look into unauthorised structures.
Most of the unauthorised buildings are in areas such as George Town, T Nagar, Mylapore, Tiruvanmiyur where old settlements are giving way to new multi-storied buildings. Large-scale violations have also been found in areas like Saidapet, Chetpet and southern suburbs such as Kottivakkam and residential colonies in Alandur municipality where the real estate industry is booming unlike never before. "These 10,600 buildings are only the tip of an iceberg. There must be more than a lakh such illegal buildings, which are still unidentified," government sources told TOI.
A study by the Chennai Corporation and CMDA in 2007 — following directions from the monitoring committee — in Usman Road (from Usman Road to Prakasam Salai) and Ranganathan Street revealed that 64 buildings (28 special buildings (beyond three floors) and 35 multi-storeyed buildings) have blatantly violated rules on floor space index, plot coverage, car parking and front set-back. A multi-storyed building, bearing door no. 43 in Ranganathan Street ought to have provided 90 slots for four wheelers as per development control rules. But the builder has not set aside space to park even a single car.
The floor space index (FSI) of several of these identified buildings have gone beyond 5, even as the rules permit only 2.5. FSI is the ratio between the built-up area allowed and plot area available. "In fact, the monitoring committee was contemplating stringent action against these offenders when the state brought out an ordinance in July 2007 under the pretext of safeguarding the poor people. There is no fear of law and everyone is violating the rule. It is detrimental to the quality of urban life," Devasahayam said. The Supreme Court in its 2006 ruling observed that Chennai was unlivable due to flourishing unauthorised buildings.
Interestingly, the corporation has given a clean chit to certain special and multi-storeyed buildings on Arcot Road that they identified as violating rules. The corporation has told the state government that they could not find deviations in 20 of those buildings indentified. A senior government official said, "At least 90% of the buildings have deviations and any planner can easily figure out the violations".
