CHENNAI: As part of the move to shorten the approval timeline for industrial projects, the state government has removed the need for agriculture department’s approval in use of dry land for industrial projects.
The change, notified in a GO dated July 31 and published in the gazette last Monday, amends the Tamil Nadu Change of Land Use (From Agriculture to Non-agriculture Purposes in Non-planning Areas) Rules, 2017 — the framework governing conversion of farmland for industrial and other non-agricultural use.
Director of Town and Country Planning Kiran Guralla told TNIE that the amendment was designed around ease of doing business. Earlier, files for industrial land not under cultivation had to be routed to the joint director of agriculture for an NOC, adding time to the approval process.
Under the previous system, land eligible for conversion had to show at least three years of non-cultivation, a status the joint director of agriculture must verify before giving his approval.
‘Land conversion move will help boost industrialisation in tier-3 cities’
Guralla said verification—checked through revenue adangal records, satellite imagery and survey status—can now be done directly by the district DTCP office at the time of application, removing the need for a separate agriculture department NOC.
As per the amended rule 4(b), the director (of DTCP) can now ‘take a decision himself’ after satisfying the documents filed by the applicant. A related provision, rule 7(2), which had built the agriculture department’s report into the director’s decision, has been omitted outright.
The order was issued under Section 122 read with Section 47-A of the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, by housing secretary R Kirlosh Kumar. “This was one of the key recommendations made by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to the CM.
The requirement to obtain the NOC from the agriculture department was introduced in the 1990s. It is encouraging that the government has now done away with this requirement.
The move will significantly expedite the approval process and boost industrialisation, particularly in tier-2 and tier-3 cities as well as rural areas,” said M Ponnuswami, co-chairman of the CII’s National Taskforce on Ease of Doing Business.
S Ramaprabhu, chairman of the Builders Association of India’s DTCP and CMDA commitee, said the move will result in faster clearances.
DTCP chief to decide
As per the amended rule 4(b), the director (of DTCP) can now ‘take a decision’ after he/she is satisfied with documents filed by the applicant