Act against real estate promoters in the Nilgiris: CEAN

The Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN) has urged the Nilgiris District Collector M. Aruna to act against real estate promoters, engineers and architects in violation of the hill conservation’s building rules.

In a statement, retired IAS officer, Surjit K. Chaudhary, chairperson of

CEAN, said he had seen reports by the Nilgiris Civil Engineers Association and Architects staging protests against the Nilgiris district administration for delaying the approval of around 5,000 buildings.

Mr. Chaudhary said the Nilgiris could only be preserved and protected by enforcing geology and mining rules. “The work on the ground will prove that they (real estate promoters, engineers and architects) are violators of geology, forestry and also of the Environment Protection Act, Hill Station Building Rules., 1993, Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 and others.

CEAN has called for the applications of tribal communities, Tamil and Badaga settlements to be dealt with on a priority basis since most of their constructions are small and less than 1,000 square feet. “They are innocently caught in the whirlwind of these culprits and violators,” he said.

He also alleged that real estate promoters were purchasing land abutting roads and highways and denying access to other land owners who had land away from the point of access and arm-twisting them to sell to them at cheaper prices. He said the Combined Building Rules called for any purchase to ensure access of sufficient width to other land owners to be handed over to the local body for future maintenance.

They also urged that the licences of all architects and engineers who had constructed buildings in violation of building rules should be cancelled and called for a wholesale survey of real estate projects without registration with RERA to be completed.

“No building approval application must be entertained from these illegal layouts and no power connections should be given,” he said. CEAN has called on the Collector to form a committee of environment engineers and architects to suggest measures to reduce pressures on the hills from constructions.