CHENNAI: Ambattur Municipality is found to have tampered with an approved layout of a housing site and converted it into a children’s play space. What is more, the local body also claims to have lost the files pertaining to the planning permission and building licence of the site, according to documents available with Express. The municipality overwrote the blueprint of the layout plan for V G Paneer Nagar in Mogappair village by changing a housing site into children’s play space. While doing so, it did not adopt the statutory procedure of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1971.Sources said the housing site was bought in 2003 and the municipality was approached for planning permission on May 15, 2009, with all the necessary documents. But the local body took three months before rejecting the appeal of the owner and said that the plot was reserved for children’s play space. The nearby plots, which were also marked for children’s play space, had got planning approval from CMDA and the Ambattur Municipality way back in 1998.When the land owner sought the copy of approval of the nearby plots through RTI, the Ambattur Municipality said the files had gone missing. As a result, he approached the Directorate of Municipal Administration, which sought disciplinary action against officials responsible for loss of file.Surprisingly, instead of taking action against the erring officials, a watchman was suspended.Meanwhile, the land owner - not willing to be named here - sought a confirmation on whether the site was a children’s play space as mentioned by the municipality and filed an RTI with the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) seeking copies of the approved layout in 1967. When the DTCP replied in the negative, he approached the CMDA seeking their guidance on whether an approved layout could be overwritten and could be authenticated.The CMDA stated that overwriting was ruled out and the municipality had to adopt statutory provisions of Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, to revise the approved plan.When all the facts were placed before the State Information Commission, it directed then Ambattur municipal commissioner Ashish Kumar on September 2010 to file an affidavit. However, Ashish Kumar did not furnish any affidavit. Instead, he stated that the overwritten copy was the original one. Ashish Kumar said he had submitted the report and refused to comment further.Later in December 2010, an appeal was filed before the then Housing and Urban Development secretary, Ashok Dongre, following a High Court directive. The directive stated that the secretary should dispense of the case within eight weeks.After more than six months, the file continues to be pending before the Housing and Urban Development secretary.
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