Minutes of the 17th Meeting of the Monitoring Committee Held on 27/07/07

What the minutes cover

The Minutes of the 17th Meeting of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Monitoring Committee record decisions on individual commercial buildings and broader recommendations for residential buildings. Property owners and buyers should check whether a listed address is affected and whether regularisation was approved, made conditional, or left pending further evidence.

Changes to earlier minutes

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Monitoring Committee revised the record for the commercial building at 19, Bazullah Road, T. Nagar. It accepted that the GF + 5 floor building had been completed before 28 February 1999 and directed that recommendations be sent to the Government.

The committee also recorded that where regularisation applicants have corrected defects and now satisfy the existing DCR, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority may consider planning permission under the existing DCR without relying on the regularisation application.

Commercial building decisions

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Monitoring Committee directed follow-up enforcement action for 146 multi-storeyed commercial building cases. For the commercial multi-storeyed buildings approved for regularisation, it required:

• Alternative fire safety measures meeting the norms of the Director of Fire and Rescue Services.
• Inspection by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority officials before a regularisation fee demand is raised.
• Collection of the fee under the 1999 Regularisation Scheme rate.
• No construction beyond what had already been reported.

The minutes accept evidence of completion before 28 February 1999 for specified properties in Anna Nagar, Egmore, Nungambakkam, Periyamet, Gopalapuram, Kodambakkam, Vadapalani and Tambaram. The later-added fifth floor part at Sonex Towers, Anna Nagar, was ordered to be demolished. The later-added fourth floor part at 4, Rajaji Street, Tambaram, was required to be removed.

Further evidence was requested for buildings at 103, East Mada Street, Royapuram, and 51, Wuthu Cotton Street, Periyamet. Commercial special buildings approved for regularisation were subject to inspection, the 1999 scheme fee and no additional construction.

Residential building recommendations

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Monitoring Committee recommended further action by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority as follows:

• Residential applications received up to 30 June 2002 could be regularised regardless of whether construction was completed before 28 February 1999, with 50 per cent of the 1999 scheme fees. Alternative fire safety norms were required for multi-storeyed buildings.
• Where no application was received by 30 June 2002, buildings completed before 28 February 1999 could be assessed under all 1999 scheme parameters, including fees.
• For construction completed after 28 February 1999 but before 30 June 2002, penalties were proposed using rental value and dwelling-unit size.

Completion certificates

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Monitoring Committee directed faster disposal of pending completion certificates. It also agreed that Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority engineers could inspect sites and issue compliance certificates in town panchayats and village panchayats within the Chennai Metropolitan Area.