November 1, 2011, dawned as rude shock for the employees and the shop owners of T. Nagar, Ranganathan Street and Usman Road. The CMDA under directions from the High Court had sealed each of 26 buildings in the morning raid. The run up to the above raid is as follows.

These shops have been constructed with little regard for FSI, car parking and setback regulations of CMDA. The safety of the lacs of people thronging the shops was in question.

These shopping malls together generate several crores every day from the shoppers living in Chennai and also those who come as tourists or for outstation work. But whether the state and central governments are in anyway benefited by way of taxes is a moot point.

What Anna Hazare and his team are doing in an imaginary battlefield is being done by a consumer action group in a real battle field.

The following chronicle (Courtesy, The Hindu dated November 1, 2011) shows how a peaceful and prosperous residential neighborhood, was taken over by greedy businessmen and real estate sharks with the help of corrupt politicians and conniving government officials. That the current government means business is shown by the fact that power and water supply have been cut-off and tenders called for the demolition of these unauthorized constructions.

1999
Regularization Scheme. State government announces that all unauthorized buildings and violations upto 1999 will be regularized for a fee. This scheme challenged in the Supreme Court. Court allows the 1999 scheme as a “one time measure”.
2000 Second Regularization Scheme.
2001 Third Regularization Scheme. Scheme extended with fee reduced further.
2002
Fourth Regularization Scheme. Scheme extended with more fee reduction.
2006
Public Interest Litigation. A PIL highlighting the violations in construction of shopping complexes at T. Nagar and on N.S.C. Bose Road in Parry’s filed in the Madras High Court.
Aug’ 2006
High Court upholds only 1999 regularization Scheme. Allows regularization of unauthorized constructions completed before Feb 28, 1999. Rest of the regularization schemes rejected. Monitoring Committee formed to look into the regularization applications and help CMDA evolve ways to reduce building violations in future. Court directs that the multi-storied commercial complexes be taken as a priority and recommends less stringent measure for residential multi-storied buildings and special buildings.
Dec’ 2006
Monitoring Committee meets for the first time, reviews regularization applications and works out norms to issue completion certificate.
Mar’ 2007
Monitoring Committee directs CMDA and Chennai Corporation to undertake a special survey of T. Nagar area. It recommends that the survey identify building violations and digital photos of each and every building to be surveyed be taken.
Jul, 2007
T. Nagar survey report is presented to the Monitoring Committee. The report shows about 35 multi-storied buildings and 30 non-multi-storied buildings on Usman Road and Ranganathan Street, T. Nagar that have violated the FSI, car parking norms and setback regulations.
Jul, 2007
The State government promulgates an ordinance on July 27, directing that all unauthorized buildings completed before July 27 be protected from any punitive action for one year.
Aug 2007
The constitutional validity of the Ordinance, which imposed status quo for one year on unauthorized constructions in Chennai, challenged in the Madras High Court.
Nov 2007
The Madras High Court quashes the Ordinance. Tamil Nadu government files an appeal in the Supreme Court.
Dec 2007
Supreme Court orders a status quo until further orders on the case was passed.
Jun 2008
The Panagal Park and Usman Road Traders Association requests the Justice Mohan Committee to declare the area comprising Usman Road, North Usman Road, Nageswara Road and Ranganathan Street as Special Retail Zone and condone all buildings that have violated building rules.
Jul 2008
The Tamil Nadu government issues a fresh ordinance to extend protection to unauthorized buildings for another year.
Jul 2009
The government issues another ordinance and extends moratorium for another year.
Jul 2010
The state government passes another ordinance and to extend moratorium.
Mar 2011
Supreme Court vacates its order of status quo on regularization of unauthorized constructions. Decks are cleared for action.
Aug 2011
Madras High Court gives 2 months time for the CMDA and Chennai Metrowater to demolish unauthorized buildings and submit status report.
Oct 2011
Madras High Court observes that not a single unauthorized building has been demolished nor any action taken. It asks CMDA, Chennai Corporation, Metrowater and TNEB to file affidavits individually and inform the court if they have complied with the directions of the court order by November 1.

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