e Chennai civic body has yet to act on 387 dilapidated buildings in the city that were surveyed in 2022. Although notices were issued to around 100 buildings, none have been demolished so far. As a result, the city continues to have structures with peeled-off concrete, exposed reinforcement steel, and cracked roofs, posing safety risks.

The affected buildings are located in areas such as Seventh Main Road in Anna Nagar, Collector Nagar on Ambattur Estate Road, and George Town. Housing board tenements in Santhome are also impacted. Under the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Body Rules 2020, the civic body is required to carry out structural stability assessments and renew stability certificates for old buildings.

Officials noted that in dilapidated housing board colonies, residents have coordinated with private builders to demolish and reconstruct buildings, but demolition is delayed due to compensation issues or project approval delays. Many owners continue to rent out these unsafe buildings until reconstruction occurs. Around 80 notices have been issued in North Chennai zones over the past year. The civic body plans to begin a fresh survey of dilapidated buildings soon.