Wednesday, December 4, 2013

79 residential apartments fate hangs in balance as CMDA slaps demolition notice

C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Residents of 79 apartments in a building in Tiruvanmiyur are facing
uncertainty after Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority served a
lock and seal and demolition notice as the builder failed to pay
infrastructure development and amenities fees of Rs 44 lakh to the
agency.
The residents of Ramaneeyam Samarpann apartments in Thiruvanmiyur told
Express that they were in for a shock on November 27, 2013 when CMDA
officials pasted a demolition notice besides handing over the notice
to the secretary of the building to circulate it to the residents of
the buildings
Residents said that the builder not only paid Infrastructure and
amenities charges but also constructed two dwelling units illegally.
“He kept us in dark about the whole thing,” said a resident on
condition of anonymity.
The residents feel CMDA is unfair to them by threatening to lock and
seal the building. “They should have taken action against the builder.
How do we know that he has not paid the infrastructure and amenities
charges,” rued the resident.

According to the notice, the builder got the approval on 2008 for 77
dwelling units. He also applied for completion certificate on 2010.
However, instead of remitting the infrastructure and amentities
charges, he went for a court order dated June 2010 without insisting
Completion certificate from CMDA.
But this does not absolve him from paying the infrastructure and
amenities charges. After several reminders including the one on 2010,
the lock and seal and demolition notice was issued.
Interestingly, this was not the lone case. Since 2006, lot of builders
to avoid paying infrastructure and amenities charges have gone to
court to obtain water and power connections without insisting on
getting completion certificate from CMDA, say sources.
Interestingly, the sub-committee of the monitoring committee in CMDA
has already identified such erring builders. M G Deivasahayam,
Managing Trustee of the Chennai-based Citizens Alliance for
Sustainable Living (SUSTAIN) and a member of the monitoring Committee
says the file is still awaiting clearance thus putting many buyers of
the flats at risk. “The monitoring committee is not being allowed to
perform their duties,” he alleged stating that the whole thing is in a
limbo.
Interestingly, the committee has suggested that the habitual violators
need to be identified and security deposit should be collected as
multiple of the security deposit normally collectable while issuing
planning permission from such habitual violators.
This has resulted in huge loss to the exchequer. Interestingly, CMDA
has yet to take action against the officials involved for expiry of
Bank Guarantees worth more than Rs 3.77 crore after government has
sought an action taken report on the audit reports starting from 2006
to 2009-10 that highlighted the lapses.
Sources say that the government is losing several crore of rupees as
revenue due to non-collection of infrastructure and amenties charges
and lapsing of bank guarantees towards remittance of security deposit
to get planning permission.

No comments:

Post a Comment