Image used for representational purposes only
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Tamil Nadu Minister for Housing and Urban Development B. Rajkumar on Friday (August 28, 2026) announced in the Assembly that the permissible built-up area for obtaining building permission through the self-certification scheme for residential buildings comprising a ground floor and two floors (G+2), and stilt plus three floors (Stilt+3), will be increased from the existing 3,500 sq. ft. to 5,000 sq. ft.
Making the announcements for the Housing Department, Mr. Rajkumar said a scheme would be introduced for small commercial buildings with a floor area of up to 1,500 sq. ft. to obtain building permission through self-certification. The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) will construct 842 multi-storeyed residential apartments at a cost of ₹914 crore at various locations in Chennai and other districts such as Cuddalore, Madurai, Tiruvallur, and Kanniyakumari.
He said the State government is committed to ensuring that lands acquired by the TNHB for public purposes are put to the best possible use. Accordingly, a special scheme will be implemented in respect of lands for which awards were passed for acquisition but not handed over to the TNHB, as well as lands that remain unutilised after being handed over to the Board due to various reasons, including encroachment.
He said the State government will implement a complete online process for applications seeking change of land use. To enable the public to obtain building permission easily without having to approach local bodies, a third-party certification system will be introduced for residential buildings with a floor area of up to 8,070 sq. ft. Under this system, building permission will be granted after ensuring that the building regulations have been duly complied with, the Minister said.
Similarly, a system of granting building permission through third-party certification to commercial buildings with a floor area of up to 3,230 sq. ft. and industrial buildings constructed in approved layouts developed by SIDCO, SIPCOT, or ELCOT with a floor area of up to 26,900 sq. ft. will also be introduced. The delegated powers for granting permission for residential buildings will be enhanced, with the permissible area being increased from 10,000 sq. ft. to 16,140 sq. ft. in corporations and municipalities and to 12,912 sq. ft. in town panchayats and village panchayats, the Minister said.
Koyambedu market improvement
In the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) Sathangadu Iron and Steel Market Complex and Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex, works will be taken up at a cost of ₹25 crore to improve the quality of roads and strengthen internal road connectivity. New shops will be constructed at the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex between the L, M, and N blocks of the vegetable market, covering an area of 22,000 sq. ft., at a cost of ₹7.5 crore. Dedicated drinking water connections will be provided to each shop at the Complex at a cost of ₹10 crore, he said.
A total of 12,648 multi-storeyed housing units will be reconstructed by the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board. In Perambur, 472 multi-storeyed housing units will be constructed at a cost of ₹111.8 crore. To protect the livelihoods of auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers and ensure fair fares for auto-rickshaw and taxi passengers, an auto-rickshaw and taxi app incorporating a digital meter will be developed and launched by the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), he added.
Published – August 28, 2026 04:04 pm IST
