A commercial building named 'Saravana Stores' on Anna Main Road in K.K. Nagar, Ward 136, Kodambakkam Zone, was sealed by Greater Chennai Corporation officials and police for building regulation violations.

Building details: Initially approved as stilt plus three-storey structure completed in 2020.

Violations identified:

• 261 sq.m stilt floor approved for parking was used commercially without sanction
• Each upper floor exceeded approved 256.56 sq.m by 4.44 sq.m
• Second and third floors approved for residential use were used commercially
• 45 sq.m unauthorised commercial construction on terrace
• Front and east side setbacks short by 0.20 and 0.21 metres respectively
• Building height exceeded limit by 1.20 metres

A notice was issued during construction with two-month rectification period, but owners did not comply. Owners submitted multiple regularisation applications under UB Act sections to GCC and CMDA, but approval was not granted. A fresh notice was issued under instructions from higher authorities.

In 2025, more than 185 inspections were carried out by zonal authorities in Kodambakkam Zone.

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 between 8.30am and 10.30am in the presence of K K Nagar (R7) police station personnel.

Violations found:

• Originally sanctioned as ground plus three (G+3) structure; owners constructed additional rooms on fourth floor
• Stilt floor meant exclusively for parking was converted into commercial space
• Building lacked required setbacks, raising safety concerns and contributing to congestion
• Located at busy junction near PT Rajan Salai

Redevelopment replaces ageing apartment buildings, allowing existing owners to gain modern amenities and potentially larger homes while developers sell additional units using permitted CMDA floor space index (FSI). Chennai’s shortage of vacant land is pushing builders towards suburban projects, but redevelopment offers buyers homes in established areas with strong social infrastructure and connectivity.

• In Adyar, residents of a 24-apartment complex have sought redevelopment for more than five years. The over-30-year-old building lacks lifts and designated parking, and raised road levels have contributed to monsoon flooding on the ground floor. GST and interior costs have hindered agreement.
• In Nanganallur, residents of a 16-apartment complex with 13 owners took two-and-a-half years to agree on a builder. Its 20-ft-road location and proximity to the airport make it ineligible for additional FSI; the new building will have parking and a lift.
• Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) properties in Thiruvanmiyur, Besant Nagar, Indira Nagar, Anna Nagar and K.K. Nagar are redevelopment opportunities. TNHB retains rights over rented flats, which it can redevelop and sell.
• Residents of a 30-apartment building, now 48 years old and built in 1978, have pursued redevelopment for five years. Corrosion near the sea and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules, introduced in 1992, have complicated the process; they recently obtained CMDA approval.

The Central Crime Branch uncovered a property-document forgery operation in an apartment in Nesapakkam, finding a hidden room with printers, fake rubber stamps and forged paperwork used across Chennai. Bharathiraja, 44, of Kolathur, and Jahabar Sadiq, 42, of Nesapakkam, were arrested on Wednesday; they allegedly supplied forged pattas and other documents for years.

The investigation began after Subramani, 55, of T Nagar, discovered that his 4,715 sq ft plots in Madipakkam had been sold using fabricated documents, including a fake death certificate declaring him dead and a bogus legal-heir certificate naming Priya of KK Nagar as his sole heir. He estimated his losses at around ₹2 crore.

Priya, Balasundara Arumugam and Solomonraj were arrested first. Investigators later arrested alleged masterminds Rakesh, 36, of KK Nagar, and Karthik, 54, of Madipakkam, followed by Venkatesan, 44, who was traced to Bengaluru.

Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) is offering space in its new Chennai commercial complexes at ₹88–118 per sq ft, nearly 20% below private rental rates. EPFO and GST are among the first occupants.

TNHB sold its complexes in Chintamani, which housed the old market, and Anna Nagar to government bodies, including the Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Authority. Seven other complexes are in Ashoka Colony, KK Nagar, Mogappair, CIT Nagar, Arumbakkam, Ashok Nagar, Peters Colony and Besant Nagar. Metro connectivity and central locations have attracted government agencies seeking space. At CIT Nagar, one block is occupied by GST and EPFO has rented multiple floors.