Replace CMDA’s enforcement authority with new body, says Monitoring Committee

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The enforcement authority of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authortity lacks teeth and should be replaced by a full-fledged exclusive enforcement government organization for Chennai Metropolitan Area, according to the monitoring committee constituted by the High Court.

The new enforcement body should have mandate for pursuing focused enforcement action with adequate power, authority and manpower as a long term and sustainable measure, according to the minutes of the 41st meeting of the High Court appointed monitoring committee held at CMDA recently.

The committee also recommended that such an authority may be set up after detailed study of different models in place in different cities in India and abroad.

“Till such a full-fledged enforcement organization of the government is created, as a short-term measure, the committee approves the interim measures of the constitution of the ‘Adhoc Special Task Force’ that was evolved in consultation with CMDA, Metro water, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and Chennai Corporation.

It said the framework of the Special Task Force subjecting the unauthorized buildings to the comprehensive enforcement action should emerge as perpetual mechanism of enforcement action in the Chennai Metropolitan area in the long term.

Observing that CMDA can’t be enforcement authority and its prime function is planning and development, the committee said the present system and mechanism in CMDA is highly inadequate and lacks thrust and clarity of role and responsibility of different agencies in pursuing the enforcement action.

 “CMDA lacks staff for enforcement related activities like issue of completion certificate, forfeiture of security deposit without any hierarchy of administrative structure spread over the metropolitan area besides it original role is planning and development,” the committee said, adding that the local bodies are also not adequately equipped for carrying effective and focused enforcement action.