Chennai, May 9 (PTI) Wondering as to how the government authorities have permitted construction of huge commercial buildings, including hotels and restaurants in the Chettinad House premises, one of the Heritage Centres, in Rajah Annamalai Puram here, the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission has called for details with regard to the grant of permission.

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State Information Commissioner S Muthuraj called for the information while passing interim orders on a batch of second appeals from V Murugesh and three others, all alumni of Rajah Muthiah High School, one of the schools run by the Gandhi Nagar Educational Society.

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The applicants contended that the government authorities had granted permission for construction of the commercial buildings in the vast area, where two schools — Chettinad Vidhyashram and a Vidhyalaya — are functioning. They had applied to the authorities concerned for details with regard to the same, but were refused. Hence, the present appeals.

Passing interim orders, SIC Muthuraj observed that he had gone through the CMDA website and shocked to find that as per the High Rise Buildings Planning Permission Approval Details-2021, Rajah Muthiah Chettiar Charitable Trust, represented by M A Muthiah, has applied for permission to construct a skyscraper building with 14-floors to accommodate hotels and restaurants with rooms and bars and office premises in the heritage site.

The buildings which were built before Independence in Chennai Beach Road ahead of Ennore such as Beach Railway Station, Madras High Court, Secretariat (Fort St. George), Madras University, Light House, Santhome Church, Chettinad House and the Theosophical Society at Adyar, especially Adyar river joining with the Bay of Bengal (one extreme is Chettinad House and the other extreme one is the Theosophical Society) are some of the existing heritage Buildings.

Since, this high rise building is proposed to be constructed inside the Chettinad House, where great legends — Parliamentarians, educationists, industrialists and philanthropists — lived, the onus to preserve such a Heritage building including their honours, is cast upon the organisations and the government and its agencies.

In this connection, Muthuraj pointed to an order of the Madras High Court constituting a panel, headed by Justice E Padmanabhan, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, to preserve heritage sites following which a legislation was also passed by the State government to preserve the monuments and heritage sites.

In another order passed by the High Court, it was stipulated that a board should be erected at the building site displaying the details about the construction, planning permission and other details. But no such board was erected at the site, Muthuraj noted.

From the website of the Chettinad Vidhyashram it is found that the present student strength is 7,908 as per CBSE student details. When the Building Planning permission seekers do not comply with the specific guidelines issued in the Circular these students and their parents do not know what is happening within the premises of the school campus which would affect their health at large and they alone will be the ultimate sufferers. The CMDA, after issuing plan permission, must have also ensured that the display board was erected at the site, Muthuiraj said and directed the Member Secretary, CMDA to give explanation as to why this commission should not impose a cost on the CMDA and other authorities concerned for a sum of Rs 79.08 lakh (at the rate of Rs.1,000 to each student).

As the ultimate and direct sufferers owing to the above construction activities are going to be the students, he also directed the Chettinad Vidhyashram principal to give information about the problems to be caused by the construction activities inside the Chettinad House. The dust and air pollution that is going to occur due to construction of 13+ floors and the enormous heat to be generated by the AC machines would be very high. All this would affect the students to a great extent, Muthuraj said and wondered again as to how Bars and rooms, where all illegal activities may be carried out, can be allowed near schools.