Left against Bill shifting wetland development nod from Collectors to DTCP

CHENNAI: The State government's Bill to grant powers to the Director of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) to develop wetlands in non-planning areas has been opposed by the CPM and the CPI, which are supporting the TVK government from the outside, as well as by the opposition party AIADMK.

The Bill was tabled by Housing and Urban Development Minister B Rajkumar on Tuesday (September 1), stating that the move was aimed at simplifying the process for obtaining permission for land development, reducing procedural delays, and improving the ease of obtaining such permissions.

The Opposition parties, AIADMK, CPI, and CPM, opposed it at the introductory stage.

The primary Opposition DMK, along with the PMK and BJP, sought a debate before the Bill was passed. One of the Cabinet colleagues from the Congress supported the Bill.

The debate on the Bill will be taken up before the Assembly session concludes. If the PMK and BJP support the Bill, it is likely to be passed by voice vote, even though the Left parties have opposed it.

"The government has decided to dispense with the requirement of obtaining prior concurrence from the district Collector for the development of wetlands in non-planning areas and to give powers to the DTCP to give prior concurrence to the local authority in the case of wetlands," the Bill said.