CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will implement the land pooling area development scheme in three villages and has asked officials not to process any planning permission application, building approval or regularisation application in these areas, according to official sources. The villages Agaramthen, Madambakkam and Kovilancheri, spread on 242 hectares, have been selected to implement the pilot land pooling scheme under Amrut Scheme.
Sources said CMDA has written to the commissioner of St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union at Chitalapakkam and executive officer of Madambakkam town panchayat last week, providing them with survey numbers of the land in these villages, asking officials to forward all planning permission applications to CMDA.
Located on the outskirts of the Chennai Metropolitan Area, this is a greenfield area surrounded by developments, making it vulnerable to unorganised and chaotic growth.
The project was planned five years back. The state government revamped the provisions of The Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning (Third amendment) Act, 2018, to implement Land Pooling Area Development Scheme in the state last year. The government notified the Tamil Nadu Land Pooling Area Development Scheme Rules, 2024, last month.
The implementation of the pilot project under the land pooling scheme is crucial as this would bring changes in land acquisition patterns for development projects as non-availability of land is causing delay. The rules specify stages of implementation of the scheme under section 39 of Town and Country Planning Act.
Under the rules, the scheme will have to be published by CMDA or other planning authority within nine months from the date of publication of its intention in the district gazette and website, after which two months would be given to file objections to the scheme, if any. The objections would be scrutinised and any changes will be made and sent to the government.
As per the rules, the copy of the approved scheme will be sent to the registration and revenue departments for updating and mutation of revenue records. Within nine months of announcing the preliminary scheme, a final proposal will be prepared, after which grievances or appeals will be heard in the next two months. The final scheme will be then published and the process of providing land pooling ownership certificate will begin.