Action against building rule violations begins in coimbatore

In a bid to expose buildings that are constructed violating rules the Local Planning Authority has started putting up notices in front them stating they have violated the approved or sanctioned building plan.

The authority chairman and District Collector Neeraj Mittal asked officials not to turn a blind eye on buildings being constructed violating rules.

The decision to put up posters in front of such buildings would prevent people from investing on such properties, officials said.

Ultimately it will result in promoters complying with laws. In an earlier directive authorities had asked promoters to display plan approval number, plan permission approval number and rough sketch of the building under section 49 of the Town and Country Planning Act-1971. The details should be written prominently to ensure visibility.

The promoters should keep a copy of these documents at the site for easy inspection and ratification by officials. It was found that many were not doing so.

Hence, the Member Secretary and Joint Director of the authority, G. Manickavasagam Pillai, has deputed a team of officers to identify buildings that are being constructed deviating from the plan approved by the local body and permission accorded by the authority.

A team of Planning Assistants led by K.M. Marudhavanan and C. Mathivanan had already identified 30 such buildings and pasted posters in front of them. It has cautioned people against occupying them on rent too.

In future, the authorities are planning to crack down on such buildings. It might cause huge losses for those who had either purchased them or rented them out.

Those deviating from the approved plan in terms of reducing the number of exits and those converting the parking area into commercial space would be dealt with sternly under section 56 (5) (b) (i) of the Town and Country Planning Act. In the event of people coming across non-compliance to instructions in terms of failure to install display boards, they can inform the officials at 0422-2497200.

The authorities said that identification of buildings with rule violations would continue till the promoters stop violating the approved plans.

TNHB allottees warn of agitation

The Tamizhaga Veettu Vasathi Variya Orunkinaintha Othukeetalargal Nala sangham has decided to launch a series of agitations, including observance of a fast if its 21 demands were not met within a month.

A release from the sangham here has said that resolutions to this effect were passed at its general body meeting on October 2.

The demands included taking of steps to resolve all land acquisition cases pending before various courts. It appealed to the Housing Minister, I. Periyasamy, to instruct the Tamil Nadu Housing Board to desist from the practice of citing land acquisition cases as a reason for not giving sale deeds to allottees whose lands were not involved in any dispute.

Sale deeds should be given as the lease cum sale agreement. The association said that the allottees never demanded concessions or waiver in the cost of the properties given to them. They were ready to pay the cost agreed up on in the lease cum sale agreement.

The association objected to the practice of imposing additional interest, penal interest and capitalisation of the interests.

These overheads and increase in the cost of properties were primarily due to the lethargy of the board, administrative lapses and the board was trying to camouflage its failures by passing the burden onto the allottees.

The penal interests for the interests arising out of the land acquisition cases and the failure of the board to resolve these cases on time should be waived for the alllottees.

The Board should immediately stop the practice of going on appeals against the rulings of the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court. It should comply with the court directives in giving away the sale deeds to those who had completed payment.