Tamil Nadu shifts wetland conversion approval to DTCP from collectors

TN simplifies wetland conversion rules, removes District Collectors from approval process

Chennai, Nov 7

The decision is expected to benefit landowners, builders and developers by reducing procedural delays and enabling faster processing of land conversion applications without compromising existing regulatory safeguards.

The new arrangement allows the Director of Town and Country Planning to grant prior concurrence directly, replacing the earlier system under which applicants were required to secure clearance from district collectors before proceeding with planning permission.

The Housing and Urban Development Department issued the government order on November 4, implementing amendments to the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, approved during the recent Assembly session.

Department Secretary R. Kirlosh Kumar said the changes were intended to make the approval process more efficient.

The amendments to Sections 47-A and 9-F of the Act transfer the responsibility for granting prior concurrence from district collectors to the DTCP.

Previously, developers and landowners seeking to convert agricultural wetlands had to obtain clearance from the district collector before approaching the DTCP for planning permission.

The revised procedure removes this two-stage approval process. However, officials clarified that environmental and land-related safeguards would remain unchanged.

A senior DTCP official said applicants would continue to require all mandatory no-objection certificates from the departments concerned.

The government has not relaxed the existing scrutiny requirements governing land conversion. Under the new guidelines, applicants must upload nine prescribed documents through the online Single Window Portal.

These include ownership or lease documents, patta, Chitta and Adangal records covering the previous three Fasli years, drainage plans and topographical maps indicating developments within a 500-metre radius of the proposed site.

Applicants must also submit an affidavit confirming that the proposed conversion does not involve government poramboke land or property belonging to others.

The government has deleted Rule 6 of the 2017 Rules, which mandated inspection and scrutiny by district collectors.

However, safeguards prescribed under Rule 7 will continue to apply. The construction industry has welcomed the decision.

Builders Association of India representatives said approvals previously took two to three months and expressed hope that the revised procedure would reduce processing time to 15-30 days.

The decision is part of a broader effort by the Tamil Nadu government to ease land-use regulations and facilitate investment.

It comes weeks after the state removed the requirement for Agriculture Department approval for industrial development on dry agricultural land, signalling a shift towards faster clearances for construction and industrial projects.

— IANS