Tamil Nadu's housing department plans SPEED, an AI-based system to speed up building plan approvals, with rollout expected in six to seven months.

What was announced

R. Kirlosh Kumar, Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, described the plan at a panel on ease of doing business in real estate at CREDAI Tamil Nadu's Statecon 2026. The system, called SPEED (Single Platform for Efficient Expedited Development), is AI-based software for planning approvals. DT Next says the TVK government had announced it earlier.

The aim is to cut the delays in the current approval process, which has drawn complaints that clearances are spread across too many offices.

How it will work

SPEED will bring together CMDA, the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), local bodies across Tamil Nadu, TNRERA and the departments that issue no-objection certificates (NOCs), such as the Revenue department and Tangedco.

It will sort buildings into low, medium and high categories. If a department does not reply to an NOC request within 30 days, the NOC will be treated as granted. The system will also set one common inspection date, so several departments visit a site on the same day instead of making separate trips.

Separately, an online appeals process for rejected planning permissions and completion certificates is due to start in October, replacing the manual process.

What others on the panel said

Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Lakhoni said the state must go beyond putting services online and use technology to reduce human involvement. He called this next step "governance intelligence", where people get services without meeting anyone in person.

TNRERA chairperson K. Phanindra Reddy said departments work in silos, which adds time and cost to clearances. He asked that the approving authority be able to see records held by Revenue, Registration, Police and Fire Services, so it can decide within a fixed time.

What happens next

The state plans to start bringing on a service provider for SPEED in October. Kirlosh Kumar said the system is expected to roll out in six to seven months.