Housing Board to redevelop flats in Chennai

Chennai

The state government on 29th January announced redevelopment of 17 housing board residential enclaves in various parts of the city.

The government is planning to construct multi-storeyed apartments in those locations at a cost of 1,740 crore. Of the 6,254 apartments to be constructed, 3,646 will be earmarked for government officials’ rental accommodation and the remaining 2,608 will be sold to public under self-financing scheme.

Existing buildings in those places are low-rise structures that had underutilised the permissible floor space index (FSI is the ratio of land area to the built-up area). While redeveloping them, the government will be able to construct more dwelling units.

There are 2,238 apartments at sites identified for redevelopment. They include Peters Colony and Lloyds Colony in Royapettah and Todhunter Nagar in Saidapet. They are in a dilapidated condition and need to be pulled down urgently.

Though the government had planned to redevelop the 25-acre housing board site at Foreshore Estate, it is restrained by the new Coastal Regulation Zone notification. Hence, multi-storeyed buildings cannot be constructed there.

Observing that planned development leads to provision of all basic amenities to the people, a government release said only 6,950 sq km area of the total 1,28,869 sq km under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) had seen planned development. To ensure better development in the remaining 1,21,919 sq km, the state is in the process of developing a master plan, the release said.

As a first step, the DTCP has tied up with Bharatidasan University to prepare a master plan for 8,447 sq km area in Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Tuticorin, Tirupur, Erode and Hosur. The project is expected to cost 4.92 crore.

The state has earmarked 10 crore for carrying out maintenance works of government officers’ quarters at Thanjavur, Erode, Hosur, Trichy, Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Villupuram, Tirunelveli and Salem. From now, people applying for DTCP permission to construct buildings can submit their applications online. It is expected to eliminate delay caused in processing applications. The government has sanctioned 2.20 crore for this purpose.

Source: The Times of India, Chennai

Unauthorised plots in Chennai bought till 2007 may get approval

Chennai

There’s relief on the way for people who have bought plots in unapproved residential layouts. If the state government has its way, all residential plots registered before July 1, 2007 will be given approval after levying a penalty, as has been done in the case of illegal buildings.

Following a proposal from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), the government is contemplating relaxing norms for approval of unauthorized layouts that have proliferated over the last few years in the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) and in areas under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).

The suggestion was made at a meeting of the CMDA’s top decision-making body. As of now, only residential plots registered before December 31, 1989 are approved under the regularization scheme in operation in CMA limits. However, on receipt of the CMDA proposal, the government has taken a view that instead of limiting the exercise to CMA, it should look for a comprehensive solution to all unapproved residential layouts that have sprung up across the state. In this regard, the state housing department has chosen to work in coordination with municipal administration and rural development departments.

A senior official said, “Since municipalities that fall under the municipal administration department and village panchayats under the rural development department have been delegated some powers to approve plots, any solution without taking them on board will remain a piecemeal effort. We also need to involve the land registration department also to ensure that registration of unapproved plots do not take place in future. Otherwise, once we regularise old violations, there will be new violations. The chief secretary will soon convene a meeting to finalise the action plan”.

A CMDA official said the problem of unauthorised plots was not a major one in CMDA limits, where the regulatory body has done zoning of all land, determining their use. But in DTCP limits, very few cities and towns have prepared development master plans.

A DTCP official said, “Unapproved residential layouts continue to spring up across the state. Many promoters who are stuck with large areas of agricultural wetlands are converting them into residential layouts and selling them with the connivance of village panchayat presidents and ward members. Despite the government clarifying time and again that approvals from village panchayats have no legal sanctity and buyers cannot avail bank loans on such plots, people continue to buy them”.

The problem became acute after the state imposed restrictions on conversion of agricultural wetlands into residential plots in January 2011. “The government should ban firms selling unapproved layouts from real estate activity and take strict action against panchayat presidents and ward members who approve unauthorised layouts,” a realtor said.

Source: The Times of India, Chennai

Automated system to scrutinise building plans in Chennai

Chennai

Builders often blame the delay in project clearances for escalating costs of apartments. In an effort to fix this problem, the Chennai Metropolitan DevelopmentAuthority (CMDA) and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) — the two regulatory agencies — will introduce an automated system to scrutinise building plans. Computers will run through the soft copy of the plans and point out irregularities, if any.

“Such work, when done manually, take 3-5 days depending on the size and complexity of design of the proposedbuilding. But the auto DCR (developmentcontrol rules)system does it in a matter of 15 minutes,” said an official. To start with, plans of low-rise buildings in the CMDA will be scrutinised. High-rise buildings will be covered later. In the DTCP, multistoreyed buildings will be coveredformthestart.

The software was tested at the DTCP office a week ago. “The system can check site plan, elevation of the building, floor plan and even provision for sewagetreatment plants.We have suggested some correctionsin thesystem and areseeking feedback from builders. It should be ready for use very soon,” saidtheofficial.

To allow members of the public to access and submit applicationsfor project approvals, the regulatory agencies will open separate portals. In the system, the suitability of the site for the project cannot be checkedor property documents scrutinised.

However, it may be too early to give up manual verification totally, said the official. “For now, we plan to follow up the computer scrutiny with one roundof manual verification.”

Apart from the CMDA and DTCP headquarters, the automated verification system will be introduced in a phased manner in all regional offices of the DTCP,compositelocal planning authorities and newtown development authorities. In the first phase, places like Chengalpet, Mamallapuram, Hosur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Tirupur,Vellore andTirunelveliwill be covered. “Apart from providing training to plannersin those areas, we also need to sensitise thecommunity on the automated route,” said another official.

While the CMDA receives about eight applications a month seeking approvals for high-rise buildings and a few dozen seeking approval for lowrise buildings, the DTCP headquarters receives 4-5 applications (for buildings exceeding 25,000sqft) a day.Fieldofficesof the DTCP handle almost five times the load of DTCP headquarters. Prakash Challa, a leading builder, said, “We welcome the move. The CMDA should cover multi-storeyed buildings attheearliest.”

Source: The Times of India, Chennai