Housing and Urban development Minister R Vaithilingam on Wednesday told the Tamil Nadu Assembly that the government was working on a structure of regulations that are to apply across the State for the regularisation of unauthorised plots.
The statement came in response to a Call Attention Motion that was raised by three MLAs on the growing number of unauthorised residential constructions.
M Arumugham (CPI’s Valparai MLA), JG Prince (Congress - Colachel) and K Krishnasamy (Puthiya Tamizhagam - Ottapidaram) raised the Call Attention Motion.
Replying to the motion, Vaithilingam said, “To address the growing hardships of common people because they purchased authorised plots, and on the orders of the Honourable Chief Minister, it was announced in the 2012-13 Budget that unauthorised plots in Corporations and Municipalities would be regularised.”
He said, “Various views have been taken and the matter is currently under the government’s consideration. It has been decided to bring a regulatory structure to apply not just to Corporations and Municipalities, but also to rural areas for this regularisation.” He added that the legal provisions preventing the registration of unauthorised plots brought in February 2009 would also be implemented to prevent further mushrooming of unauthorised residential buildings.
At the end of Vaithilingam’s reply, Prince and Krishnasamy asked for Speaker P Dhanapal’s permission to raise an issue. But they were denied permission, as the Speaker stuck to the rule book on the matter.
This prompted the Puthiya Tamizhagam members to stage a walkout. “We had asked not just about what is being done for the regularisation, but also what is going to be done to punish those who have sold these unauthorised plots to unsuspecting people. There was no mention of this in the Minister’s reply,” said Krishnasamy, speaking to reporters later.