[hopertveyk]

The Madras high court has directed CMDA to demolish the Apollo hospital building on Poonamallee High Road at Kilpauk here, holding that the construction of the structure was “unauthorised and illegal in all respects”.
A division bench of justices Elipe Dharma Rao and D. Hari Paranthaman said that “even after the stop work notice issued by the CMDA, the builder (Kences Construction Pvt. Ltd) proceeded with the construction. The entire action of the builder lacks bonafide and he has no regard for the rule of law”.

The bench directed the CMDA to bulldoze the hospital building within two weeks at the builder’s cost. Kences had sought permission and constructed seven blocks of multistoreyed buildings. Of these, six were meant to be residential buildings and the last a hotel.

CMDA had granted permission for constructing six blocks — each with a ground floor and nine other floors. The permission for another block with a ground floor and seven floors for a hotel however expired in 1999.

A hospital was built at the place earmarked for hotel, though the CMDA had rejected the permission for constructing the hospital building, the Brindavan Apartment Owners’ Association pointed out in a petition filed before the court.

The petitioner had in August 2007 informed the CMDA of the proposed construction but the authority had issued a “stop work” notice only in February 2008 after a five-month delay.

The builder disregarded the notice and continued with the construction.

-dc chn