The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) has welcomed Government of Tamil Nadu’s decision to delegate powers to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to grant planning permission for High-Rise Building projects within the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

“This is a very important and timely reform for Chennai’s real estate sector,” said W.S. Habib, President, CREDAI Tamil Nadu. “Until now, high-rise building approvals had to pass through multiple stages — application, field inspection, detailed scrutiny, High-Rise Building Committee review, recommendation to government, and finally, a Government Order, before planning permission could be granted. While every stage had its purpose, the overall process often resulted in considerable time delay,” he added.

Mr. Habib further said: “By empowering CMDA to grant or refuse planning permission based on the recommendation of the High Rise Building Committee, the government has created a more practical, accountable, and time-bound approval framework.”

“At this important moment, CREDAI Tamil Nadu also makes a humble submission to the government that this progressive approach may be extended in a phased manner to other major cities of Tamil Nadu such as Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchirappalli. Coimbatore and Madurai already have Urban Development Authorities constituted, and urban planning areas have also been notified for Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli,” he added.

These regional cities must be further strengthened with their own empowered planning and development authorities, so that approvals can be processed and granted locally, without the need for every major approval to come from Chennai, he said.