Commercial building sealed over structural violations in K K Nagar

Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation officials sealed a commercial building belonging to Saravana Stores at Door No. 49, Anna Main Road, K K Nagar on Saturday morning. The action was taken as multiple deviations were found in the building.The building was sealed between 8.30am and 10.30am in the presence of police personnel from the K K Nagar (R7) station. Multiple planning and structural violations were found in the building located at a busy junction near PT Rajan Salai. Originally sanctioned as a ground plus three (G+3) structure, the owners constructed additional rooms on the fourth floor, violating the approved plan. The stilt floor, meant exclusively for parking, was converted into commercial space. The building also lacked required setbacks, raising safety concerns and contributing to congestion in the locality. "This led to vehicles being parked on the road and this caused traffic chaos," said a GCC official.According to civic officials, the ground floor (clubbed with stilt) houses a supermarket, while the first floor sells fancy items, the second floor is used for vessels, and the third floor stocks garments. "The shop opened in 2020 and since then, we have tracked violations," said an official.Despite multiple complaints from the public and regular inspections over the past three years, no corrective measures were taken by the building owners. "They filed an appeal with Tamil Nadu housing and urban development department in 2022 seeking rectification, but the violations remained unaddressed. After giving them a chance, we initiated action," added the official.The lock and seal operation was led by executive engineer Iniyan, additional assistant engineer Ranganathan, and assistant engineer Kavitha of division 136. "If corrective measures are not carried out, the deviations will be demolished," the official added.