The Chennai Corporation will start a field-level verification of all private educational institutions, including schools, colleges and research centres, in the 426 sq km of the city.
Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy on Tuesday said the civic body will launch a drive to identify violations of development regulations by private educational institutions in the city limits. He added that a large number of complaints pertaining to violations by educational institutions have been received by the civic body in the last few months.
Officials from the 200 wards of the civic body will commence a survey of the institutional buildings to identify violations and encroachments. After identification of the violations, by comparing the existing building with the approved plan, the Chennai Corporation will issue notice to the owners under the provisions of Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971 and take appropriate action.
“Many private engineering colleges, arts colleges, dental colleges and schools have not obtained approval from the Chennai Corporation. In our ward, there are over seven schools and colleges that have violated the building regulationsThere is a need for regulating each of these constructions,” E. Jeevanantham, councillor of ward 146, said.
Most of the 200 wards in the Chennai Corporation limits have a number of educational institutions that have violated development regulations or failed to obtain approval for construction, he added. “The people should know about these violations that go unnoticed and the corporation should take action,” Mr. Jeevanantham said.
According to councillors of various wards, most of the violations are found in educational institutions in the newly added zones. Many schools in the zones of the old city limits too have violated regulations pertaining to minimum plot extent, frontage, floor space index, minimum road width, maximum height, parking space and setback on the front, side and rear.
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority issues planning permission to institutional buildings such as schools, colleges, higher educational institutions, technical institutions and research centres. The Chennai Corporation issues building approval.
