TN mulls planning permissions for real estate firms within 60 days

CHENNAI: Builders and developers could soon heave a sigh of relief as the government is working to ensure that approvals to planning permissions from Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) are given within 45 to 60 days. 

S Muthusamy, the new Minister for Housing and Urban Development, said he has taken it up as a challenge to ensure there is no delay in giving planning permission to builders and developers. “Chief Minister MK Stalin has asked to ensure there is no delay in planning permissions as the cost would be passed on to the common man. We want to reduce it to 45 to 60 days,” Muthuswamy, who also reviewed the projects of  CMDA, told Express.

Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI) Tamil Nadu president Suresh Krishn told Express that if the government is able to reduce the time taken to get planning permission within 45 to 60 days, it will be a path-braking reform. “It will be a path-breaking reform initiative by the government to give single-window approval in 60 days,” he said. “This will help the developers plan the activity in a clear-cut time frame. I am also hopeful the government will be able to achieve it. The Chief Minister also spoke about it and the housing minister is keen on implementing it.”

He says usually getting a planning permission will take four to six months. This will help in reducing the timeline by 50 per cent and the benefit would be passed on to the customer. Meanwhile, the minister also said the focus is on satellite townships to be developed in five places. There was a plan for an integrated township project in 20 to 30 acres of land near the Vandalur-Mudichur stretch along the Outer Ring Road. It is learnt that the State is  planning large scale housing, industrial and commercial developments like the Town Planning Schemes of Ahmedabad.

Official sources said that a study was undertaken keeping in mind the transit-oriented development concepts across key corridors, like in Delhi and Ahmedabad and international models like that of Curitiba, the capital and largest city in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and Portland in the US. Meanwhile, the  minister is also planning to visit the Koyambedu wholesale market on Tuesday morning before leaving for Erode.