For years, long-time residents of Chennai, who bought plots in a suburban township in Tharapakkam, had to endure many hardships before they could rightfully claim their land. However, they did not give up. And now, there is a glimmer of hope as the persistence of the landowners has borne fruit. The local panchayat has also agreed to extend support, so that they can build their dream homes.
In 2006, EVP Housing Pvt Ltd released colour advertisements in newspapers and distributed flyers offering plots for sale in Tharapakkam. These plots would form a township known as the EVP Township, situated five kilometres from the Porur junction. Interested buyers quickly purchased plots with plans to build homes.
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In 2007, a year after the township was advertised, the government acquired the entire land for the Airports Authority of India’s airport expansion. This acquisition abruptly halted construction activities for houses that were in mid-construction, along with other developmental work within the township.
Even though the airport expansion was called off, the Government did not hand over the land to the plot owners for a long time. In addition, the status of the land during the acquisition had been changed from ‘residential’ to ‘institutional.’ The reclassification was heavily delayed. The land was eventually handed over to the rightful owners. But these developments have consistently put them in a state of limbo, due to delays in procedures, and a lack of clarity on what would happen to the land and whether the township would be developed.
Landowners decide to take action
It was against the backdrop of delays in reclassification that the EVP Township Landowners’ Association in Tharapakkam filed a case to have the land reclassified as residential. Subsequently, in May 2022, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) reclassified the land. However, the troubles did not end there. The promoters of the township — EVP Housing Pvt Ltd — were not keen to continue with the building of the township. They ignored oral and written requests and legal notices from the owners’ association, for the revival of the project.
The association members then decided to proceed with the development on their own. They enlisted the help of another builder to construct the township infrastructure and to help revive the project.
Subsequently, the association convened a general body meeting for all owners on June 23, 2024 at the site location. Pandyan, President, Tharapakkam Panchayat, also attended and addressed the gathering. He encouraged owners to move forward with constructing their houses on the land without hesitation.
The president also promised owners the quick approval or re-approval of house plans and basic infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity, parks and more. He also mentioned that bus services would be extended to the neighbourhood.
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Where do we stand now?
Currently, there are quite a few tasks cut out for the plot owners, as many challenges have cropped up over the years. Over the last eighteen years, trees and shrub growth had taken over all the plots and construction sites.
Out of the 400 plots that make up this township, 120 have been sold. Among these, around 30-40 plots have begun construction. Many partially constructed houses, which were abandoned because of the acquisition, have deteriorated due to exposure to weather conditions and lack of maintenance.
Also, essential infrastructure such as underground sewage and water connections, roads, and electricity must be established before the plot owners can go ahead with house construction.
The association is deliberating on the plan for these amenities. They have just completed a structural assessment with the help of a chartered engineer. The assessment was carried out for around 30 houses, and there are about 20 to go. The assessment reports say that the structures are quite strong and there is no need to demolish them and start over.
A little background about the association
The association members first came together in 2007 when the project was launched. Hardly 10–12 families live in the township right now, as it is merely composed of empty plots and half-constructed buildings. To enroll the landowners in the association, members tracked down owners, who lived all over Chennai and some outside Chennai.
This was difficult, as owners were out of touch from 2007 to 2017. Currently, about 90 people are part of the association. Many of the owners have also sold off their land, so it was difficult to track new owners. Not surprisingly, many of these plots were sold at the time of the land acquisition. Even now one or two sales are going on, but it has mostly come to a halt.
The EVP Township Landowners’ Association believes that with the new lease of life that the project has got, it will soon develop into a full-fledged township. Mr. Jaiprabhu, AVP of VGN Builders, who is promoting a project in the vicinity says, “Now that the EVP Township project is being revived, Tharapakkam will be a much sought-after location soon.”