Chennai Corporation Warns Engineers Over Faulty Building Permit Submissions

Greater Chennai Corporation has issued a stern warning to licensed surveyors and registered engineers against submitting improper building permit applications, cautioning that professionals adopting improper practices will face disciplinary action. The warning was issued by Corporation Commissioner Dr. G.S. Sameeran during a meeting held at Ripon Buildings on Thursday.

The civic body stated that permit applications submitted without proper plans and supporting documents, or in direct violation of prescribed norms, will no longer merely be returned for correction but could also invite formal penal action against the applicants and professionals involved.

The meeting comes nearly three months after the Corporation executed a mass transfer of long-serving officials within its town planning department following complaints regarding delays, repeated scrutiny, and irregularities in granting building approvals. New officials were subsequently posted to the department, and internal disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the transferred staff.

Addressing the licensed professionals, Sameeran explained that departmental delays often stem from applications reaching the civic body without complying with established norms. When files fail to follow guidelines, officials are forced to return them for corrections, prolonging the approval cycle. He urged licensed surveyors and registered engineers to ensure complete adherence to technical regulations before uploading building plans.

Sameeran noted that obtaining building permissions should be as straightforward and accessible to the public as securing ration cards, income certificates, birth certificates, or death certificates. He emphasized that strict compliance by all external stakeholders is critical to eliminating bottlenecks.

The warning coincides with broader state government initiatives to digitize and automate the building approval mechanism. A universal scrutiny engine is scheduled to be rolled out shortly, which the civic administration anticipates will simplify and accelerate the scrutiny and approval process across the city.