RTI reply shows rules breached to okay residential layout at Kancheepuram village

CHENNAI: An RTI response has allegedly revealed that a residential layout in Mannivakkam village under the Kattankulathur panchayat union in Kancheepuram district was granted final approval when it lacked complete mandatory infrastructure.

According to activist Senthil from Iyyapanthangal, authorities cleared a 33-plot layout named 'Meera Nagar' despite the absence of a stormwater drain; they only had roads laid at the site. Under the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules (TNCDBR), 2019, developers are required to complete basic infrastructure, including roads and stormwater drains, before the final approval is issued.

An RTI reply dated July 6 from the assistant public information officer of Kattankulathur panchayat union stated that both road facilities and stormwater drains had been completed before securing the approval.

Official records also show that the developer paid Rs 2.88 lakh as approval fees to Mannivakkam panchayat on May 22, 2024, with no additional charges collected for infrastructure creation.

Contradicting this, a response to a complaint filed on the Chief Minister's cell portal noted that the CMDA planning permission mandated construction of dual-sided cement concrete stormwater drains, which are not present at the site.

Senthil alleged that the approval bypassed norms laid down by CMDA and TNRERA, and criticised the Kattankulathur panchayat union commissioner and Mannivakkam panchayat president for failing to enforce compliance.

Responding to the allegations, Kattankulathur Block Development Officer PJ Kalaiselvan said the issue had only recently come to his notice. “We have taken the steps to contact the landowner, but haven't been able to reach him yet. The issue will be ascertained within a week," he said.