CMDA seals apartment block, marriage hall for violations

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) sealed two buildings in the city suburbs for violating building plan approvals, on Thursday.

According to a CMDA official, Vasantham Kalyana Mandapam (marriage hall) in Chromepet and a block in Olympia Grand apartments in Pallavaram were sealed by CMDA workers.

“The owner of the marriage hall had availed the planning permission to use the building as a cold storage facility while commencing the construction. But violating the approval, the owner had converted the building as a wedding hall illegally,” the official said.

The official added that a block in Olympia Grand apartment in Pallavaram was also sealed. It is learnt that the builder availed building permission to use the block as a serviced apartment but later converted it into a lodge, as per the official.

“Some residents complained about the conversion based on which lock and seal action was taken. The builder had erected gates and made the block a separate block. During the lock and seal operation, the gates were also removed. Prior lock and seal notices were issued to the owners before taking the action,” he added.

It may be noted that the planning authority had sealed only four buildings in 2021 and no building was sealed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Meanwhile, CMDA has issued lock and seal notices to as many as 21 buildings with violations in a day on March 21.