CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has approved establishing an online appeal and dispute resolution system for building and planning permission applications, allowing applicants to file and track appeals through the Single Window Portal (SWP).
The system is proposed for adoption by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and all other planning authorities in the state.
At present, though Sections 79 and 80-A of the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, provide statutory remedies, applicants must follow manual procedures to file and process appeals.
Section 80-A of the Act allows a person affected by enforcement action against an unauthorised building to ask the state government to review the action taken by the planning authority or local body. Section 79 allows applicants to appeal against refusal or rejection orders of planning permissions.
Under the proposed system, appeals against planning permission decisions can be filed online within two months of communication of the order. The appeal will be electronically linked to the original planning or building permission application, eliminating the need to resubmit documents already available on the SWP.
The system will provide real-time tracking, electronic scrutiny, jurisdiction-wise assignment, stage-wise timelines, automated alerts, and escalation for delayed cases, besides digital communication and a complete electronic audit trail.
The portal can also be used to schedule physical or virtual hearings. Final appeal orders will be digitally signed and made available for download. The system also proposes public disclosure of appeal decisions, real-time statistics and a dashboard showing pending and disposed cases. Importantly, no appeal fee will be levied under the system.
The move follows a proposal from the commissioner of town and country planning to comply with the centre’s Business Reforms Action Plan 2026, which calls for a comprehensive and time-bound mechanism to resolve disputes, issued a few days ago.