After long wait for landowners, construction set to begin in EVP Township

The EVP Township Landowners' Association is working to develop their 18-year-old township with support from the Tharapakkam Panchayat

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.


Read more: Demystifying land ownership: Insights and expert advice for property transactions


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

meeting of EVP Township association members Tharapakkam
P K Girish, President of the EVP Township Landowners’ Association addressing the June 23rd meeting, along with Tharapakkam Panchayat President, Pandyan. Pic: R Vijay

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.


Read more: Demystifying land ownership: Insights and expert advice for property transactions


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.”

Also read:

Comments:

  1. Ram Kumar Gupta says:

    Sir
    I own one plot at EVP township purchased in 2005. It is understood that now construction is started after all the impediments are over with the concerted efforts taken by Mr P. K. Girish, President of EVP land owner association. I extend my wishes and thanks to all concerned and extend all supports. I request to share the mobile numbers of concerned so that i can talk. At present I am settled in Mumbai and sell my plot at EVP Tharapakkam.

    Regds R K Gupta 9833228149

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

City Buzz: Delhi’s ₹1 lakh-crore budget | Community revives Bengaluru lake…and more

Other news: Housing sales fall in eight cities, green buildings grow while cities remain unsustainable and Delhi rules on new school uniforms.

Delhi CM's first, 1 lakh-cr budget The Delhi Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, who also holds the Finance Minister's portfolio, presented the new government's first budget on March 25th. By allocating ₹1 lakh crore in various sectors such as education and urban development, she showed a rise of 31.58% from the previous government's allocation. The budget for Housing and Urban Development has increased by 9% to provide affordable housing, sanitation and urban infrastructure. The funds for education have increased from ₹16,396 crore in 2024-2025 to ₹19,291 crore. The budget for the transport sector has risen by 73% and for Housing and…

Similar Story

City Buzz: Weak plans in cities to fight heatwave | Mumbai’s turtles retreat…and more

Other news: NDMA to draft heat action plans, Delhi welfare schemes take off and Chandigarh launches QR codes in public toilets

Cities lack long-term planning to fight heatwaves Some cities that are most sensitive to future heatwaves are focusing mainly on short-term respite, according to Sustainable Futures Collaborative, a research organisation in New Delhi. Its report shows how nine major cities that account for over 11% of the national urban population—Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Gwalior, Kota, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mumbai, and Surat—are gearing up to face the heatwaves. The report states that while all nine cities are taking immediate steps to address heatwaves, “long-term actions remain rare, and where they do exist, they are poorly targeted.” Without effective long-term strategies, India might confront several…