Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Court halts construction work on Neelankarai school

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JUNE 8. The Madras High Court has restrained the promoters of Vaels Boolabong High International High School from going ahead with construction of their residential school at Kapaleeswarar Nagar at Neelankarai.

Ordering status quo on construction, a vacation bench comprising Justice Prafulla Kumar Misra and Justice A. Kulasekaran also restrained the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) from demolishing the existing structure at the challenged site.

The orders were passed on a writ petition filed by the Kapaleeswarar Nagar Welfare Association secretary V. Suresh and the Vetri Educational Trust trustee G. Arthi.

In his petition, Dr. Suresh contended that the sitewas situated within 500 metres of the high tide line and was within the prohibited distance for construction activity under the provisions of the Coastal Regulatory Zone.

Claiming that the promoters were putting up a ground-plus-four-floor structure there, the petitioner said no multi-storey building was permissible on the 33-feet road as per the Development Control Rules framed under the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act 1971.

Despite several representations, the CMDA and the Chitlapakkam Panchayat Union, responsible for regulating construction at Neelankarai, had not responded, Dr. Suresh said, adding: "by turning a blind eye to the brazen violation of planning laws, the respondent-officials themselves are setting a bad precedent."

Describing the adverse effects of a multi-storey building in the region, he said sanitation would be the first casualty, as the area did not have an underground sewer system.

It would also affect the sensitive and delicate fresh water aquifer at Neelankarai, which was already facing a crisis, he said.

In her petition, Ms. Arthi said the Chitlapakkam panchayat union had passed a resolution to accord sanction to the residential school project, and added that the trust had commenced construction anticipating that planning permission would be granted. At present, it had been decided to construct only ground-plus-one floor at the site, she said.

She, however, said construction had already been stopped by the Trust. She also gave an undertaking to the court that construction would stop till the CMDA took a decision on the Trust's application.

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