31 CMDA officials in the dock

CHENNAI: Let 31 officers of the CMDA, who are responsible for failure to enforce the planning laws and thereby paved the way for unauthorised constructions here, be impleaded as parties in the proceedings, the Madras HC said on Tuesday.The first bench of Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam gave a direction to this effect while passing further interim orders on PILs by Consumer Action Group and T Solomon, a petitioner. As per the list given by the CMDA Member-Secretary, the 31 officials include former Member-Secretaries Md Nasimuddin, IAS, MR Mohan, IAS, Vikram Kapur, IAS, and Dayanand Kataria, IAS, three chief planners, two senior planners, nine deputy planners and 13 assistant planners.The bench directed the CMDA counsel to supply a copy of its Tuesday’s order to all of these officers, which would amount to serving notice on them. “These officers shall file an affidavit justifying their inaction during the period they were posted, when illegal constructions have been made by...builders and...owners of the land. They shall also state...why this court may not recommend to the government...initiation of disciplinary action against them,’’ it said. The judges adjourned the matter till November 30 upon assurance by Advocate-General A Navaneethakrishnan and counsel for Chennai Corporation that they would continue to ensure full compliance with the court’s earlier directions.