Urban planning experts have urged the Tamil Nadu government to show political will in tackling rule-violating buildings and to put an end to the long-running practice of “regularising” illegal constructions.
They pointed out that the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court have issued strong directions in multiple cases, including orders to demolish buildings with major violations. However, successive DMK and AIADMK governments were reluctant to implement these orders and instead told courts they would regularise minor violations first and then act against major offenders.
To facilitate this approach, a new Section 113C was added to the Town and Country Planning law, and a regularisation scheme was announced in 2017 under the then AIADMK government. Only buildings constructed before July 2007 were eligible, and applications were accepted across the state until 2019.
More than two lakh applications were filed, and around Rs 60 crore was collected as registration fees. But the scheme stalled midway after litigation by individuals, and the applications have remained pending. Experts say the state has stayed silent in court for about five years, allowing the violations to continue.
A housing and urban development department official said problems caused by illegal buildings are growing in the Chennai metropolitan area and are also affecting government projects. The official said a detailed note will be submitted to the Chief Minister and that the department is ready for swift action based on the CM’s decision.
