Chennai: The State Government has informed Madras High Court that it will come with rules to regularise unapproved plots in the State.

When the petition against converting farm lands into housing plots came up for hearing before the First Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar today, Advocate General R Muthukumaraswamy said rules had been formulated to regularise registration of unapproved plots and they would be released tomorrow.

He also submitted a report on registration of unapproved lands after a High Court order in September last banning the activity.

According to sources, during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami here on Tuesday, nod was given to a regularisation scheme for unapproved plots.

Reports said the plot owners would have to pay regularisation charges, which will go to the government, apart from development charges and scrutiny fee which would be netted by the local body concerned. Charges on open space reservation will also have to be paid and their revenue will go to the planning authority and the local body concerned.

In September 2016, the court had imposed a blanket ban on registering unapproved plots or converting farm lands into housing plots without following norms. It also held that the registering officials would be personally liable for violation of the order.

But on March 28, a bench headed by the then acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh permitted the resale of unapproved housing plots, modifying the September order.

However, on April 21, the bench restrained officials from registering such plots till May 4, saying it was not inclined to permit registration of unapproved plots.

It was also made clear that the interim order of March 28 was subject to the outcome of the writ petitions while passing orders on the petitions by two advocates.