CHENNAI:The Tamil Nadu government has given its approval to accord amnesty to educational institution buildings, including those of schools, constructed prior to January 1, 2011 in non-plan areas that come under the Directorate of Town and Country Planning.
It is learnt that Commissioner of Town and Country Planning has submitted a proposal to the State government along with draft guidelines for according approval to buildings of educational institutions that started functioning prior to January 1, 2011 in non-plan areas.
This comes in the wake of the Madras High Court asking the Director of School Education to constitute a committee in each district to inspect all schools and ensure they conform to requisite building regulations and safety norms.
The proposal was submitted after representations from the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu and Federation of Association of Private schools in Tamil Nadu.As per the Government Order accessed by Express, the educational institutions have to pay a one-time fee of `7.50 per square foot of the floor space index area of the building which shall be self-assessed. The money will be paid online in the Infrastructure and Amenities Fund account.
The concession to educational institutions is valid for a period of three months from the date of orders.
The GO states that no building with any encroachment on a public road or a street or on a poromboke land or on local authority land will be accorded approval. Similarly, open spaces and recreational areas, waterbodies and land affected by the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1978 (Tamil Nadu Act 24 of 1978) will not be considered for concurrence.
Benefits
Hundreds of educations institutions will benefit from the order as most of them don’t have any approval
The GO comes in the wake of the HC asking the State to form committees to check whether schools conform to building regulations
The amnesty for educational buildings is for three months
It is only for buildings built prior to January 1, 2011 in non-plan areas
Documents required for amnesty
The applicants will have to submit proof of institution functioning and building being in use or existence prior to January 1, 2011 besides NOC from the Fire Safety department. They also have to provide self-attested ownership document copies and certificates of licensed surveyor and structural engineer or architect