No completion certificate for small buildings: Tangedco

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) has instructed its superintending engineers not to seek completion certificates for providing power connections to exempted buildings.

E Shyamala, chief engineer (commercial), issued a circular to follow the instruction of the Director of Municipal Administration to avoid delay in providing the connections.

Meanwhile, P Ponniah, director of municipal administration, sent a letter to the Tangedco pointing out Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019 that exempted completion certificates for residential buildings up to 12 metres height not exceeding three dwelling units, other buildings up to 750 square metres and all industrial buildings. Apart from power connection, water connection and sewage connections can also be given without completion certificates for such buildings.

It may be noted that the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration sent a similar circular to corporation and municipality commissioners instructing them not to seek completion certificates for giving water and sewage connections.

Meanwhile, the circular had also created a debate among civic activists demanding action against illegal buildings. "The building completion certificate is a major option for the officials to ensure that violations are arrested during the building construction. But such relaxation and exemptions may help the errant builders and owners to avail connections for buildings. The controversial issue will be to ascertain whether the building is exempted or not for availing the connection," said advocate N Udayakumar of Madras High Court. "In a nutshell the building construction and service connection rules should be simple and uniform so that it helps the public and at the same time also is practically feasible for the residents to follow while constructing small houses in congested areas," said civic activist Aarani Sreenivasan of Central Chennai.