CHENNAI: R Kirlosh Kumar, principal secretary of Housing and Urban Development, announced that Single Platform for Efficient Expedited Development (SPEED), an AI-based planning approval software, is expected to be rolled out in six to seven months.

The new system, announced earlier by the TVK government, is intended to address delays in the existing approval process.

"The government would begin onboarding a service provider in October," Kirlosh Kumar said during a panel discussion on ease of doing business in real estate at CREDAI Tamil Nadu Statecon 2026.

The proposed software would integrate CMDA, the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), local bodies across Tamil Nadu, TNRERA and other stakeholders, along with departments issuing no-objection certificates (NOCs), including the Revenue department and Tangedco.

"The software will also classify buildings into low, medium and high categories to expedite the planning process," he added.

Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Lakhoni said Tamil Nadu needed to move beyond digitising services to using technology to reduce human intervention in government processes. He described this next stage as "governance intelligence", where people could access services automatically without having to meet officials in person.

The overhaul comes amid concerns over shortcomings in the fragmented clearance process. K Phanindra Reddy, chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TNRERA), said departments often operated in silos, increasing the time and cost involved in obtaining clearances.

"There are windows behind windows," he said, calling for a system in which departments could access records held by other agencies, including Revenue, Registration, Police and Fire Services, allowing the authority processing an application to obtain the necessary information and issue approval within a defined timeframe.

Under the new system, NOC would be deemed granted if the concerned department failed to respond within 30 days of receiving a request.

A system-generated common inspection date has also been introduced so that multiple departments can inspect a site on the same day instead of scheduling separate visits.

An online appeals mechanism for rejected planning permissions and completion certificates would also be introduced during October, replacing the existing manual process.