The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has sealed the KK Nagar branch of famed restaurant Saravana Bhavan for illegal construction. This move comes after the restaurant failed to follow orders from the Housing Secretary instructing them to tear down the unauthorised structures.

According to sources in the Corporation, the owner of the land on which the restaurant stands filed a case in 2014 in the Madras High Court about the illegal construction in the building. Following this, the court had directed the Housing Secretary and Corporation Commissioner to ensure that all unauthorised construction was removed. The Housing Secretary apparently gave the restaurant a notice, which they failed to heed. 

"First, they were given two months to break down the second floor, which is illegally constructed. Then they were given two more months to do so … But they failed to take any action," a zonal official told TNM. "When it became clear that they will not follow instructions, the Housing Secretary directed us to seal the building.” 

The officials who sealed the building faced no opposition from the restaurant as they were armed with necessary documentation to show as proof.

"They will now have to go to court if they want to open the restaurant again," the zonal official said. 

Earlier this year, the Greater Chennai Corporation had sealed the Peters Road outlet of Hotel Saravana Bhavan, stating that it did not have adequate parking facilities.

The CMDA, on Friday, had also sealed a two-storeyed retail store in T Nagar for building violations. Constructed in the bustling business centre of the city, the building had deviated from the permissions it received.

The Corporation faced immense flak when the Chennai Silks building in South Usman road burned down earlier this year – several people accused it of allowing the store to flagrantly disregard building norms and of not cracking down on it sooner.