Section 274 in Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919
274. Buildings unfit for human habitation.
(1)If any building, or portion thereof, intended for or used as a dwelling place appears to the commissioner to be unfit for human habitation, he may apply to the [standing committee] [Substituted for 'central committee' by Tamil Nadu Act 22 of 1971.] to prohibit the further use of such building for such purpose, and the [standing committee] [Substituted for 'central committee' by Tamil Nadu Act 22 of 1971.] may, after giving the owner and occupiers thereof a reasonable opportunity of showing cause why such order should not be made, make a prohibitory order as aforesaid.(2)When any such prohibitory order has been made, the commissioner shall communicate the purport thereof to the owner and occupiers of the building and on expiry of such period as is specified in the notice, not being less than thirty days after the service of the notice, no owner or occupier shall use or suffer it to be used for human habitation until the commissioner certifies in writing that the causes rendering it unfit for human habitation have been removed to his satisfaction, or, the [standing committee] [Substituted for 'central committee' by Tamil Nadu Act 22 of 1971.] withdraws the prohibitions.(3)When such prohibitory order has remained in operation for three months, the commissioner shall report the case to the [standing committee] [Substituted for 'central committee' by Tamil Nadu Act 22 of 1971.] which shall thereupon consider whether the building should not be demolished. The [standing committee] [Substituted for 'central committee' by Tamil Nadu Act 22 of 1971.] shall give the owner not less than thirty days notice of the time and place at which the question will be considered and the owner shall be entitled to be heard when the question is taken into consideration.(4)If upon such consideration, the [standing committee] [Substituted for 'central committee' by Tamil Nadu Act 22 of 1971.] is of opinion that the building has not been rendered fit for human habitation and that steps are not being taken with due diligence to render it so fit and that the continuance thereof is a nuisance or dangerous or injurious to the health of the public or to the inhabitant of the neighbourhood, it shall record a decision to that effect, with the grounds of the decision, and the commissioner shall in pursuance of the said decision, by notice, require the owner to demolish the building.(5)If the owner undertakes to execute forthwith the works necessary to render the building fit for human habitation and the commissioner considers that it can be so made fit, the commissioner may postpone the execution of the decision of the [standing committee] [Substituted for 'central committee' by Tamil Nadu Act 22 of 1971.] for such time not exceeding six months, as he thinks sufficient for the purpose of giving the owner an opportunity of executing the necessary works.
