1,000 TNSCB units built on graveyard not occupied for want of clearances

The previous AIADMK government had constructed 1,000 houses on a graveyard for the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) at Moolakothalam in the city without clearances from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and environment authorities concerned. This issue was presented in the State Assembly by Minister for Rural Industries TM Anbarasan on a demand raised by party MLA from Royapuram iDream R Murthy.

Participating in the debate on demand for grants for the registration department, Murthy said a thousand houses were constructed by the previous regime on a graveyard and they remained unoccupied even after three years. “When I visited the houses, I found that these did not have electricity and water connections. On inquiry, I found these houses did not have CMDA approval. CMDA officials said the project did not have environmental clearance. They told me that the classification of the place was not changed for construction,” he said.

Intervening during the debate, Minister Anbarasan admitted that the project lacked CMDA and environmental clearances and said the construction of 648 houses at the cost of Rs 84.24 crore started on July 9, 2018, under phase I. “Works on 396 houses started in phase II at a cost of Rs 54.04 crore on August 20, 2018. The first phase was completed on November 28, 2019, and the second on November 2, 2020. A notice was issued by the environment department on January 5, 2021,” he noted

Admitting that the structures lacked water and EB connections, Anbarasan said the approval would be obtained for the project in a month and it would be handed over to the beneficiaries after ensuring necessary amenities.

Former deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam announced the project to build 1,044 houses with all modern facilities under the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board in 2018.

After it was announced, the project had courted controversy during the AIADMK regime as the site was close to a memorial for Tamil linguistic freedom fighters Thalamuthu and Natarajan. Questions were raised on whether the project would consume the land for the memorial. The AIADMK government had later clarified that the memorial land was around 300 meters away from the site for tenements.

Minister Anbarasan said the project would be handed over to beneficiaries after making available all amenities