The stand-off between Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and the High Court-appointed monitoring committee continues.
The committee, which met on Friday for the 48th time, reiterated the need for ‘legal clarity’ on the government’s decision to condone unauthorised buildings constructed before July 1, 2007, for a fee.
Monitoring committee member M.G. Devasahayam said the concerns expressed by the committee in the previous meeting, regarding the recently-announced scheme regularising building violations, had not been recorded.
In the last meeting, non-official members of the committee had pointed to the Madras High Court’s decision in 2006 to strike down various schemes introduced by the government to regularise unauthorised construction.
Since the matter was still pending in the High Court, monitoring committee members had sought judicial sanction of the High Court before proceeding further with the 2007 scheme.
The government, however, has already issued orders and begun implementing the 2007 regularisation scheme.
Mr. Devasahayam also said the suggestions pertaining to involvement of architects in monitoring violations at every stage of a building did not find mention in the agenda notes of the 48 meeting. CMDA officials however said the monitoring committee would continue to play a key role.
