CHENNAI: Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday hit out at the state government for destroying the dream of the middle class to build their own house by reportedly increasing the charges for obtaining building plan approvals, drastically.

Palaniswami, in a statement, charged that the Tamil Nadu government has increased the charges for building plans by 200%. "This would turn the dreams of middle-class families into a mirage. In the name of issuing approval in a hassle-free manner, the government has hiked the fees for building approval plans. I strongly condemn the DMK government for destroying the dreams of the common man to build a house of their own. This exposes the incompetence of the present dispensation,” the AIADMK leader charged.

Pointing to the recent government order regarding the instant online approval for building plans, the AIADMK general secretary stated that the state government had increased the fee from Rs 46,000 to Rs 1 lakh for obtaining building plan approval for constructing houses in 1000 sq ft land in Chennai. Similarly, the government had increased the fee for building approval from Rs 42,000 to Rs 88,000 for 1000 sq ft in Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruppur Corporation limits, while the fee went up from 30,000 to 84,000 in Tiruchy, Salem, and Tambaram Corporation limits.