The Madras High Court today

The Madras High Court today
directed the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) not to regularise floors constructed unauthorisedely.
The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana also directed the CMDA to take a policy decision regarding to the floors constructed more than the permitted level, hearing a contempt petition filed by social activist Traffic Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy sought a direction from the Court to demolish all the Unauthorised constructions in the George Town area, Sowcarpet in particular.
The CMDA submitted that effectively there is little for it to do when there are extra storeys constructed and it is not a question of some extra construction on a floor.

The first bench which heard the matter in its interim order said "We would tend to agree with this and the CMDA should, thus, issue a policy decision that there is no question of regularisation of extra floor, which would also reduce the burden on the appellate authority and make the issue clear to the people at large."

The CMDA submitted that on November 13 last, all the government stakeholders had a joint meeting and a decision has been taken to insist on obtaining completion certificate from the building owners for constructing any building having more than three dwelling units within Chennai Corporation limits as per the resolution passed by CMDA earlier and further decided that the decision should be made operational early.

The CMDA informed the Bench that insistence on completion certificate must be a pre-condition for assessment of property tax and for obtaining water, sewage and EB connection which will arrest unauthorized construction to a larger extent.
The bench then appointed advocate V Suresh as amicus curie to assist the court in the matter and posted it for further hearing on January 29 next year.