Authorities’ attention drawn to illegal building completion certificate

Coimbatore In August this year, the Coimbatore Corporation Assistant Commissioner for North Zone issued a letter to an applicant who had sought building completion certificate.

The applicant had sought the certificate to avail of power connection, as mandated under the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019. The Rules state that completion certificate from the competent authority – local body or local planning authority – was necessary for water, sewerage and power connection for residential buildings with up to three dwelling units measuring not more than 8,000 sq.ft. and less than 12m in height.

The Rules also exempt industrial buildings from completion certificates.

In his letter, the Assistant Commissioner said the applicant had sought building plan approval for a 1,310 sq.ft. on the ground floor and a similar on the first floor with two dwelling units.

And, the applicant had built a building on the ground floor measuring 1,802 sq.ft. with a dwelling unit, a building on the first floor measuring 1,914 sq.ft. With three dwelling units and a stair case room on the second floor measuring 104 sq.ft.

The Assistant Commissioner went on to add that the Corporation had assessed the ground floor building and first floor building in two different tax assessments.

The Assistant Commissioner’s letter was in gross violation of the letter and spirit of the Rules, said Coimbatore Consumer Cause Secretary K. Kathirmathiyon. The officer had acknowledged the illegality in construction, and by saying that the Corporation has assessed it for tax, seemed to pave way for the Tangedco to provide power connection.

This went against the very purpose for which the State government had framed the Rules – check the construction of buildings in violation of rules by denying power, water and sewerage connection.

Mr. Kathirmathiyon said the officer’s letter also showed that the Coimbatore Corporation did not follow the Rules to issue building completion certificate in a standard format. The Corporation’s tax assessment of building was not the same as issuing building completion certificate.

The Coimbatore Consumer Cause had pointed this out to the Corporation and this forced the then Commissioner Sravan Kumar Jatavath to withdraw his letter in this regard.

As local body officials still seemed to be unfamiliar with the Rules, his organisation had written to the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Secretary to look into the issue.

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