Materials seized from 1,124 illegal construction sites in Chennai

CHENNAI: Building construction materials were seized from 1,124 places where illegal construction has been carried out against building permit in areas under the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

The planning permission and building permission are issued by the Town Planning Department of the Corporation. Anyone who receives a building permission and planning permission in the areas under the Chennai Corporation should specify the description of the building and amount will be charged accordingly. Following this, construction would be done as per the approved plan.

A memorandum would be issued to the owners of the buildings that are not constructed as per the permitted plan and if construction is in violations of the norms. Further, in the absence of proper details and sufficient documents, a memorandum would be issued to close and seal the concerned building and a deadline would be given to them for document submission and clarifications.

However, failing to produce the details, the buildings would be sealed by the Greater Chennai Corporation after the deadline. In the 15 zones of Greater Chennai Corporation, inspection was carried out by the engineers. As per a release from the GCC, as many as 327 owners of the construction sites that have been built in violation of the regulations and without building permits have been given a memorandum to stop the construction until January 11, 2023 from January 1, 2023.

At least 181 owners have been given a memorandum that the construction site will be locked and sealed. So far, 10 construction sites have been locked and sealed for not rectifying the violations within the specified time frame after issuing a memorandum to lock and seal the construction site.

Even after issuing a memorandum to stop the construction work in the sites that have been built in violation of the building permit, many owners did not comply with the orders. Thus, construction materials have been confiscated by the corporation officers in 124 construction sites that have not been rectified as per the building permit.

From all these buildings, at least 1,124 construction materials have been seized and a notice has been issued that appropriate actions will be taken against them.