‘Publish amended Kodaikanal master plan’

A division Bench comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam passed the direction while disposing a petition filed by S Mohamed Ali Jinnah of Kodaikanal seeking to restrain the authorities from taking stringent action against any building in Kodaikanal till the master plan was finalised. 

“The deputy director for Regional Town and Country Planning, Madurai Region as well as the secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, are directed to take appropriate effective steps to publish the amended master plan pertaining to Kodaikanal Local Planning Area within a period of 12 weeks,” the bench said in its order. 

The deputy director had submitted in his counter that 107 suggestions and objections were received on the master plan. Based on this, Kodaikanal municipal Commissioner had sent remarks of the Member Secretary, Kodaikanal Local Planning Authority, to the deputy director on January 3, 2017. 

Now, based on the instructions by the Town and Country Planning Commissioner, the master plan was being incorporated and would be finalised after consultation with the government, the counter added.