Chennai: Despite Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) extending plot regularisation scheme by six months from last May, it has received poor response among plot owners. Out of 17.5 lakh, the CMDA and Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) have merely received 3.5 lakh online applications.
While builders and promoters point fingers at these agencies for failing to disseminate awareness, CMDA officials are hopeful of receiving more number of applications in the coming days.
Sources said that there were over 17 lakh plots not approved by either CMDA or DTCP across the state and it led these agencies to instruct plot owners, who registered their layouts after October 20, 2016, to apply online to regularise plots. However, since the introduction of this scheme, the CMDA and DTCP failed to receive considerable number of online applications and it prompted the CMDA to extend the plot regularisation scheme. S. Ramaprabhu, vice-chairman, Southern Center of Builders’ Association of India, said that the officials concerned should apply corrective measures to attract plot owners.
“The CMDA has so far extended this scheme by three times due to poor response. Had at least one extension period attracted at least five lakh plot owners, both CMDA and DTCP could have completed this scheme earlier without any hiccup,” he said.
An official from CMDA, preferring anonymity, said, “we received 27,000 online applications till May 3, 2018, before extending the scheme by next six months. Since then, we have obtained 8,000 applications. However, we are hoping that many plot owners will register online soon and we have continuously been spreading awareness on this scheme.”
When contacted, a senior official, department of housing and urban development, said, “still there are three months left for this extension period to end. In such a condition, we cannot come to any conclusion. Because, during the last extension, we received many applications at last month and the same thing may happen in this week.” When asked about awareness, the official quipped “we are spreading enough awareness to promoters and plot owners.”
