Chennai’s Tamil Nadu Housing Board has landed in controversy over the transfer of its land at Pattinapakkam for the proposed new Secretariat complex.
According to the complaint, the land was permitted to be handed over to another department without convening the Housing Board’s governing council meeting and obtaining its approval, as required under the Board’s rules.
The Pattinapakkam land was originally acquired by the Housing Board in 1958 from the public for building residential quarters for government employees. Officials allege that the land, taken for housing purposes, is now set to undergo a change in classification for commercial use.
A Housing Board official said that when the government seeks to use Board-controlled land for a public purpose, the concerned department must send a formal communication. Based on this, a draft resolution should be placed before the governing council, passed in the meeting, and only then can the land be permitted for use by another department.
In the Pattinapakkam Secretariat matter, the official alleged these procedures were not followed and that the Managing Director allowed the transfer under government pressure, creating legal uncertainty.
