548 unauthorised structures in CRZ III area get notices

Chennai: Nearly 548 unauthorised structures in  the Coastal Regulation Zone-III (CRZ-III) area of the city have come under fire as the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has started issuing showcause notices to the owners.

According to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) data, Uthandi, Sholinganallur and Injambakkam villages are falling under the CRZ-III. “Chennai Corporation and CMDA have started enumerating the residential buildings, heritage structures and other constructions in three villages recently.

The court also directed us to conduct the survey,” a Chennai Corporation source said. The sources also added that the Chennai Corporation had already served notices to building owners in Uthandi and Sholinganallur. “The notices direct the owners to submit planning permission, approvals availed during construction. As all the buildings are single storied, they are falling under corporation purview,” said the officials.

At the same time, the Chennai Corporation and CMDA had also completed the survey in Injambakkam and found 220 structures in the regulation zone, on Monday.

According to the CRZ-III norms, no construction should be permitted within 200 meters except for repairs of existing ‘authorised’ structures. Also, constructions would be permitted between 200 to 500 meters with prior approval of the ministry of environment and forests.

Meanwhile, the state government requested the Central government to change CRZ-III areas into CRZ-II to provide relief to the building owners.

“The final decision on changing regulation category will be taken by central government. If the modification accorded, most of the buildings will be saved,” the officials said.

It is also learnt that the fishermen hamlets are located way out of the regulation zone. “Only swanky guest houses and resorts are squatting on CRZ. A famous theme park is also located in CRZ,” sources said.

CMDA seals 3-storey building, 4th in a week

With Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) getting a new face of inspiration in the name of Rajesh Lakhoni, the town planning authority, on Tuesday, locked and sealed a building violating rules, the fourth in a week.
Rajesh Lakhoni had been appointed as member-secretary of the CMDA last week.

According to the CMDA officials, the building on Linghi Chetty Street in Mannady had availed building plan approval from Greater Chennai Corporation to build a single-storey residential building. “Although the approval had been given for residential structure, the owner had converted the residential building into commercial space and illegally built two more floors,” a CMDA official said. Ground floor and first floor have been housing 7 shops each, whereas the second floor has 2 dwelling units, at which owner of the building had been residing. The third floor has one dwelling unit.

The official said that the CMDA had issued lock and seal notice in July 2017.
 “We have issued the de-occupation notice last month and sealing operation has been done accordingly to the notices served,” he added. Since the officials sealed the building during the early hours of Tuesday, shops, functioning in the building remained closed.

“We have to evict owner’s family only. The owner had blatantly indulged in unauthorised conversion and unauthorised expansion,” officials said.