Thursday, July 23, 2026
writingonblog uncensored: Supreme Court summons Tamil Nadu bureaucrat as Che...
writingonblog uncensored: Supreme Court summons Tamil Nadu bureaucrat as Che...: C Shivakumar @ Chennai: The Supreme Court has ordered a senior Tamil Nadu bureaucrat to appear before it next month to explain why proceed...
Supreme Court summons Tamil Nadu bureaucrat as Chennai's illegal construction case widens into nationwide review
C Shivakumar @ Chennai:
The
Supreme Court has ordered a senior Tamil Nadu bureaucrat to appear
before it next month to explain why proceedings should not be initiated
against her over an affidavit the bench said appeared designed to
protect, rather than investigate, an illegally constructed building, as
it expanded the case into a nationwide review of planning law
enforcement.
In a sharply worded order, a bench of Justices
Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan directed Kakarla Usha, then
Secretary in Tamil Nadu's Housing and Urban Development Department, to
file a written explanation and remain personally present at the next
hearing on August 4, 2026. The judges described her affidavit as
"shocking", saying it reflected a "blatant disregard for the rule of
law" and amounted to a "bold attempt to shield" Loganathan, whose
special leave petition against the State of Tamil Nadu had already been
dismissed by the court on February 16.
The bench also directed
every state and union territory to file fresh affidavits, personally
sworn by senior officials, detailing action taken against illegal
construction and unauthorised land-use changes. It warned that officials
who fail to comply with its directions or remain absent from future
hearings could face contempt proceedings.
The proceedings stem
from a petition filed by Loganathan challenging action taken against an
unauthorised building in Chennai. While dismissing the petition in
February, the Supreme Court noted that the petitioner had constructed a
ground-plus-one building without any sanctioned plan, observing that
such a structure could not have come up without the "collusion and
connivance" of municipal officials. It directed the Tamil Nadu
government to investigate the lapse and asked the Commissioner of the
Greater Chennai Corporation to explain, through a personally sworn
affidavit, how the violation had gone unchecked.
The
Commissioner's response said the property was under the jurisdiction of
the erstwhile Madhavaram Municipality when the construction took place
rather than the Greater Chennai Corporation, an explanation the bench
said it would keep "in abeyance".
The court was even more
critical of a March 22, 2024 order issued by the Additional Secretary
(Technical) in the Housing and Urban Development Department directing
that no coercive action be taken against the violators despite a Madras
High Court direction that the matter be dealt with strictly in
accordance with law. Saying it was "unable to comprehend" how such an
order could have been passed in the face of an admitted violation, the
bench directed the state to identify the officer responsible and explain
the decision.
Concluding that the Chennai case reflected a wider
pattern of weak enforcement, the Supreme Court in March expanded the
proceedings into a nationwide examination of illegal construction and
misuse of residential properties for commercial purposes. It impleaded
municipal corporations in every state and union territory capital, along
with the Tamil Nadu government through its Chief Secretary, and
appointed senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha as amicus curiae. Civic
bodies were directed to audit their jurisdictions and submit reports
identifying unauthorised commercial use of residential properties.
When
the matter returned in May, Sinha told the court that only three states
had filed affidavits and none had adequately detailed follow-up
enforcement action. Referring to Delhi's Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini
Nagar, he said buildings approved for two storeys had been expanded far
beyond sanctioned plans, posing serious structural risks.
Rejecting
arguments that mixed-use provisions under Delhi's Master Plan justified
such deviations, the bench ruled that changing the approved use of a
building after obtaining sanction amounted to "nothing short of a fraud
on the system". It added that the failure of civic authorities to act
could indicate "tacit collusion and connivance" with violators. The
court also impleaded Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
secretary.
The judges reserved their strongest criticism for
Usha's subsequent affidavit, saying it appeared "more in defence of the
petitioner than reflective of the objective and responsible position
expected from a senior public officer". They noted that despite the
dismissal of the petition and the lifting of all interim protection in
February, the unauthorised structure remained standing more than three
months later, a circumstance that "prima facie suggests connivance". The
court directed Tamil Nadu's counsel to immediately communicate its
order requiring Usha's personal appearance and written explanation at
the next hearing.
The state housing department could not be reached
on what kind of action being initiated by the state against following
the Supreme Court's observation on illegal construction and misuse of
residential properties for commercial purposes.
Monday, July 20, 2026
writingonblog uncensored: Taiwan's Investment Map Expands Beyond Chennai
writingonblog uncensored: Taiwan's Investment Map Expands Beyond Chennai: C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI: Taiwanese investors are looking beyond Chennai and Sriperumbudur's established industrial belt, with souther...
Taiwan's Investment Map Expands Beyond Chennai
C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI:
Taiwanese investors are looking beyond Chennai and Sriperumbudur's established industrial belt, with southern Tamil Nadu emerging as a potential destination for the state's next phase of manufacturing expansion.
An eight-member Taiwan delegation that toured Tirunelveli SIPCOT and VOC Port in Thoothukudi earlier this June concluded that the region's logistics capacity has made it a potential site for the state's next wave of manufacturing clusters, particularly in green energy, electronics and electric vehicles, said Stephen S. C. Hsu, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in Chennai in an interview with The New Indian Express. Hsu, who has recently marked his first year in Chennai, described the recent visit mainly as “a fact-finding trip”.
The trip to the south reflects a wider recalibration of how Taiwanese enterprises view Tamil Nadu — less as a manufacturing destination and more as a strategic partner for high-tech investment. While footwear, textiles, machinery and electronics assembly remain established strengths in the north, investor appetite has shifted toward advanced manufacturing, semiconductor supply-chain components, EVs and green-energy infrastructure, Hsu said.
The southward pivot comes as bilateral trade accelerates. Taiwan-India trade volume reached 10.6 billion USD in 2024 and rose to a record 12.5 billion USD in 2025; from January this year till now, bilateral trade volumes have grown 30 per cent year-on-year, Hsu said. Over the next three to five years, TECC in Chennai expects fresh capital inflows as mid-tier technology suppliers relocate, generating high-skilled roles for local engineering graduates.
Tamil Nadu's pitch to investors rests on what Hsu termed a "holy trinity" of ports, industrial parks and workforce: direct maritime connectivity through Chennai Port and VOC Port cuts supply-chain transit times and cost, while SIPCOT's purpose-built infrastructure and a skilled labour pool round out the offer. Combined with a mature industrial ecosystem and supportive state policy, these give Tamil Nadu an edge over competing states, Hsu said. He highlighted his vision for the next decade- “Design from Taiwan, Make in Tamil Nadu”.
Keen to woo Taiwanese investments to Tamil Nadu, the director general looks forward to the meeting with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay along with Taiwan Chamber of Commerce soon. Highlighting the role played by Taiwan, he said there are more than 300 Taiwanese companies in India, and 75% are located in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with the accumulated investment amount of 5.7 billion USD, and generating 214,000 jobs in India over the years, he said.
Challenges remain largely cultural rather than structural, centred on differences in working culture and operational practices between Taiwanese firms and local partners, according to Hsu.
A tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Chennai Institute of Technology, Taiwan's National Formosa University and industry group AGEM aims to build advanced semiconductor research capacity, with the goal of training local engineering students into global design engineers — a cohort Hsu called "ambassadors of innovation" in the Taiwan-India relationship.
To deepen the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem, the state should offer targeted incentives addressing what deep-tech investors need most: reliable water and power supply, a complete component supply chain, and high-skilled engineering talent, Hsu said.
TECC in Chennai is pushing for single-window regulatory clearances tailored to foreign SMEs, ready-built factory sheds within industrial parks, and tax waivers for the first 24 months of operation — measures it says would draw smaller Taiwanese suppliers into the state.
Hsu framed the relationship in geopolitical terms, describing Taiwan's New Southbound Policy as complementary to India's Act East Policy, and calling the current period of global supply-chain restructuring "a golden time" for Taiwanese firms considering a shift to India.
"Tamil Nadu is no longer just a potential destination; it is a proven launchpad for success," Hsu said, adding that the TECC in Chennai remains committed to working closely with the state government to guide Taiwanese companies "every step of the way."
Taiwanese investors are looking beyond Chennai and Sriperumbudur's established industrial belt, with southern Tamil Nadu emerging as a potential destination for the state's next phase of manufacturing expansion.
An eight-member Taiwan delegation that toured Tirunelveli SIPCOT and VOC Port in Thoothukudi earlier this June concluded that the region's logistics capacity has made it a potential site for the state's next wave of manufacturing clusters, particularly in green energy, electronics and electric vehicles, said Stephen S. C. Hsu, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in Chennai in an interview with The New Indian Express. Hsu, who has recently marked his first year in Chennai, described the recent visit mainly as “a fact-finding trip”.
The trip to the south reflects a wider recalibration of how Taiwanese enterprises view Tamil Nadu — less as a manufacturing destination and more as a strategic partner for high-tech investment. While footwear, textiles, machinery and electronics assembly remain established strengths in the north, investor appetite has shifted toward advanced manufacturing, semiconductor supply-chain components, EVs and green-energy infrastructure, Hsu said.
The southward pivot comes as bilateral trade accelerates. Taiwan-India trade volume reached 10.6 billion USD in 2024 and rose to a record 12.5 billion USD in 2025; from January this year till now, bilateral trade volumes have grown 30 per cent year-on-year, Hsu said. Over the next three to five years, TECC in Chennai expects fresh capital inflows as mid-tier technology suppliers relocate, generating high-skilled roles for local engineering graduates.
Tamil Nadu's pitch to investors rests on what Hsu termed a "holy trinity" of ports, industrial parks and workforce: direct maritime connectivity through Chennai Port and VOC Port cuts supply-chain transit times and cost, while SIPCOT's purpose-built infrastructure and a skilled labour pool round out the offer. Combined with a mature industrial ecosystem and supportive state policy, these give Tamil Nadu an edge over competing states, Hsu said. He highlighted his vision for the next decade- “Design from Taiwan, Make in Tamil Nadu”.
Keen to woo Taiwanese investments to Tamil Nadu, the director general looks forward to the meeting with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay along with Taiwan Chamber of Commerce soon. Highlighting the role played by Taiwan, he said there are more than 300 Taiwanese companies in India, and 75% are located in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with the accumulated investment amount of 5.7 billion USD, and generating 214,000 jobs in India over the years, he said.
Challenges remain largely cultural rather than structural, centred on differences in working culture and operational practices between Taiwanese firms and local partners, according to Hsu.
A tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Chennai Institute of Technology, Taiwan's National Formosa University and industry group AGEM aims to build advanced semiconductor research capacity, with the goal of training local engineering students into global design engineers — a cohort Hsu called "ambassadors of innovation" in the Taiwan-India relationship.
To deepen the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem, the state should offer targeted incentives addressing what deep-tech investors need most: reliable water and power supply, a complete component supply chain, and high-skilled engineering talent, Hsu said.
TECC in Chennai is pushing for single-window regulatory clearances tailored to foreign SMEs, ready-built factory sheds within industrial parks, and tax waivers for the first 24 months of operation — measures it says would draw smaller Taiwanese suppliers into the state.
Hsu framed the relationship in geopolitical terms, describing Taiwan's New Southbound Policy as complementary to India's Act East Policy, and calling the current period of global supply-chain restructuring "a golden time" for Taiwanese firms considering a shift to India.
"Tamil Nadu is no longer just a potential destination; it is a proven launchpad for success," Hsu said, adding that the TECC in Chennai remains committed to working closely with the state government to guide Taiwanese companies "every step of the way."
writingonblog uncensored: Fishers say Chennai reservoir plan ignored Bay of ...
writingonblog uncensored: Fishers say Chennai reservoir plan ignored Bay of ...: CHENNAI: Fishing communities in the Kovalam sub-basin have accused Tamil Nadu's Water Resources Department (WRD) and IIT-Madras of overl...
Fishers say Chennai reservoir plan ignored Bay of Bengal storm-surge risk
CHENNAI:
Fishing communities in the Kovalam sub-basin have accused Tamil Nadu's Water Resources Department (WRD) and IIT-Madras of overlooking Bay of Bengal storm-surge dynamics in planning the Mamallan reservoir, a freshwater project proposed on the Uppankazhi salt marsh to supply Chennai.
Government-commissioned coastal inundation maps, prepared for an assumed 1.63-metre tidal surge under severe sea conditions, show that most of the proposed reservoir site would be submerged under 3.5 to 4.5 metres of seawater during a storm event — a scenario fishers say neither agency has assessed.
"We don't need a report to tell us what the sea does here," said R. Narayanan, a fisher from Kovalam. "Every spring tide, every monsoon, we watch this land become part of the sea. The bunds they are planning are not going to stop that."
The IIT-Madras technical evaluation, submitted to justify the project's exemption from the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, accounts only for freshwater inflows from the western catchment, treating the sea as an outlet for surplus water rather than a source of risk. It recommends direct outlets from the reservoir to the ocean — infrastructure that fishers warn could function as inlets for seawater during a surge.
Speaking to reporters, Dr Vishvaja Sambath of the Chennai Climate Action Group argued that the omission undermines the project's regulatory basis. "If the sea overtops the bunds, and it most likely will, then there is no freshwater reservoir left — only a great salt lake," she said. "If they have not studied the sea and tidal dynamics, then the CRZ clearance they have obtained is baseless and invalid."
K.V. Sudhakar, president of the Madras Naturalists Society, called on the state government to abandon the project, citing the marsh's ecological value. He said the site supports more than 135 dry-season species, including migratory birds, subcontinent endemics, IUCN Red List species, and those listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Campaigners further warned that enclosing the marsh would remove 4,375 acres of natural flood-holding capacity from the sub-basin, increasing seawater flood exposure for Thaiyur, Kelambakkam, Thiruvidanthai, Padur, Pattipulam, Saluvankuppam and Mamallapuram — all densely populated settlements along the coast.
The claims were raised at a press briefing organised by Save Nemmeli Marshlands.
Fishing communities in the Kovalam sub-basin have accused Tamil Nadu's Water Resources Department (WRD) and IIT-Madras of overlooking Bay of Bengal storm-surge dynamics in planning the Mamallan reservoir, a freshwater project proposed on the Uppankazhi salt marsh to supply Chennai.
Government-commissioned coastal inundation maps, prepared for an assumed 1.63-metre tidal surge under severe sea conditions, show that most of the proposed reservoir site would be submerged under 3.5 to 4.5 metres of seawater during a storm event — a scenario fishers say neither agency has assessed.
"We don't need a report to tell us what the sea does here," said R. Narayanan, a fisher from Kovalam. "Every spring tide, every monsoon, we watch this land become part of the sea. The bunds they are planning are not going to stop that."
The IIT-Madras technical evaluation, submitted to justify the project's exemption from the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, accounts only for freshwater inflows from the western catchment, treating the sea as an outlet for surplus water rather than a source of risk. It recommends direct outlets from the reservoir to the ocean — infrastructure that fishers warn could function as inlets for seawater during a surge.
Speaking to reporters, Dr Vishvaja Sambath of the Chennai Climate Action Group argued that the omission undermines the project's regulatory basis. "If the sea overtops the bunds, and it most likely will, then there is no freshwater reservoir left — only a great salt lake," she said. "If they have not studied the sea and tidal dynamics, then the CRZ clearance they have obtained is baseless and invalid."
K.V. Sudhakar, president of the Madras Naturalists Society, called on the state government to abandon the project, citing the marsh's ecological value. He said the site supports more than 135 dry-season species, including migratory birds, subcontinent endemics, IUCN Red List species, and those listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Campaigners further warned that enclosing the marsh would remove 4,375 acres of natural flood-holding capacity from the sub-basin, increasing seawater flood exposure for Thaiyur, Kelambakkam, Thiruvidanthai, Padur, Pattipulam, Saluvankuppam and Mamallapuram — all densely populated settlements along the coast.
The claims were raised at a press briefing organised by Save Nemmeli Marshlands.
Friday, July 17, 2026
Delta Electronics Plans Greenfield Data Centre
CHENNAI:
Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Delta Electronics has proposed a new testing and validation centre at its Krishnagiri campus in Tamil Nadu, as part of a broader push to expand its footprint in the state's energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Benjamin Lin, President of Delta Electronics India, and Niranjan Nayak, the unit's Managing Director, met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Friday to outline the plan and thank the state government for its support of the company's existing operations.
Delta already runs a large manufacturing facility in Krishnagiri, where an expansion is under consideration alongside the proposed greenfield project. The new facility, to be named ARIVAM — an acronym for AI Data Centre, Renewables, Integrated Micro Grid Solutions, Validated Engineering and Management Centre — would focus on the design, engineering, manufacturing and lifecycle management of sustainable AI data centres, renewable energy systems and integrated microgrids.
The company has asked to work with the state government across three areas: energy infrastructure and storage, AI data centre infrastructure, and smart manufacturing and industrial automation. The Chief Minister assured Delta of continued backing under the new administration.
The proposal builds on Delta's existing Krishnagiri campus, which the company positions as a reference site for Industry 4.0 manufacturing practices and a demonstration centre for advanced automation, a release stated.
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