Expeditious Disposal of PPAs, Revised Procedure of Admission and Scrutiny

What the procedure governs

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Administration Division, order dated 6 February 2017 revises the procedure for admitting and processing Planning Permission Applications. The source text does not state an order number. It covers special buildings, group developments, multi-storeyed buildings, industrial and institutional buildings, site approvals, subdivisions and layouts submitted at the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority admission counter.

Documents required at admission

The revised admission procedure requires applicants to provide the applicable application form, Form-C, a completed data sheet and the relevant checklist. Key supporting material includes:

• Land records such as PLR, TSLR, patta and FMB showing the current owner's right to apply.
• A legal opinion on the owner's title, with title documents tracing transfers from 5 August 1975. For an approved site of unchanged extent, records from the approval date are sufficient.
• A flow chart and sketch showing ownership transfers, land dimensions, retained land and access, for examining open space reservation and any unapproved subdivision.
• Certificates and undertakings from the architect, engineer, licensed surveyor and other professionals associated with the project.
• Signed building plans, a topographical plan, Google imagery covering existing development within a 500 metre radius and a signed APPAS-format digital drawing.
• Proof of payment of the prescribed scrutiny fee. The source text does not specify the amount.
• Registration details confirming that the architect or licensed surveyor has valid registration.

The documents must be properly numbered and indexed. The procedure also permits ownership documents to be self-attested with an undertaking accepting responsibility for their genuineness.

Admission and scrutiny process

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority admission staff must check the listed documents in the presence of the applicant or representative. A supervising officer must complete a further check on the same day and direct payment of the scrutiny fee. An acknowledgement is issued after proof of payment is produced.

The application is then checked for matters including land use, coastal regulation, aquifer recharge, catchment restrictions, street alignment and recorded objections. After allocation to the relevant division, an Assistant Planner must inspect the site within a week of receiving the application and notify the applicant by email or mobile phone.

Detailed scrutiny covers the digital plans, legal opinion, open space reservation, retained plot issues and required no objection certificates. Applicants or architects may receive a list of defects and required corrections and may be offered a personal hearing. Compliant applications may be recommended for approval. Applications containing Development Regulation violations that cannot be corrected may be recommended for refusal.