Tamil Nadu has announced a major package of housing and urban development reforms aimed at speeding up building approvals, digitising land-use procedures and providing financial relief to housing borrowers. The government has proposed Rs 2,882.62 crore for the reconstruction of 12,648 dilapidated flats across 20 project areas. The programme is intended to address ageing residential buildings and improve housing conditions for residents. As part of the reforms, self-certification for residential buildings will be expanded to projects of up to 5,000 sq ft. The facility will also cover small commercial buildings of up to 1,500 sq ft, helping eligible applicants reduce approval-related delays. The government will also digitise the entire land-use change application process. The move is expected to reduce paperwork, improve transparency and make applications easier to process and monitor. Local-body approval limits for residential construction will also be increased. The proposed limit will rise to 16,140 sq ft for corporations and municipalities and 12,912 sq ft for town and village panchayats. For commercial buildings, the approval limit will be increased to 5,380 sq ft across local bodies. The government is also planning to streamline the reclassification of wet agricultural land in non-planned areas through a multi-departmental clearance mechanism. In another major relief measure, an interest-waiver scheme is proposed for borrowers of primary cooperative housing societies who have defaulted on repayments. The initiative is aimed at reducing the financial burden on eligible housing borrowers. The reforms are expected to simplify construction approvals, accelerate housing redevelopment and strengthen digital governance in Tamil Nadu's urban development sector.