Only 5pc of TN area is covered under masterplan

Chennai Metropolitan area is the smallest in the country: report

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Only five per cent of the state’s area is covered under the master plan leaving 95 per cent as no planning area, according to a report.

The area covered under Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) is 1.28 lakh square metres where as the area covered under master plan is only 6950 square metres of the state, a Institute of Town Planners of India Tamil Nadu regional chapter report said.

“As the no plan area is 1.21 lakh square metres, which is 95 per cent of the DTCP area, urban development is taking place in an haphazard manner,” the report added.

When Express contacted sources in Town and Country Planning Department, they confirmed that 95 per cent of DTCP area is non plan area and gave the reason that masterplan can be prepared for cities only.

Meanwhile, ITPI has urged the government that preparation of regional planning should cover rest of 95 per cent of the state in the 12^th five year plan.

Interestingly, DTCP which is having 27 composite local planning authorities, 88 single local planning authorities, eight new town development authorities and 12 regional offices, has prepared 1,625 Detailed Development Plans which falls within the master plan area and covers an area of five per cent of the state.

Meanwhile, there has also been a demand calling for review of Chennai Metropolitan Area. Stating that Chennai Metropolitan Area is the smallest metropolitan area in extent in the country, ITPI report states that it is limited to 1,189 square km. Where as in other metropolitan cities larger regions have been declared and Comprehensive Regional Planning is made, the example are National Capital Region for Delhi, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Bangaluru Metropolitan Region, Kolkatta Metropolitan Region and Hyderabad Metropolitan Region.

“It has become necessary to review the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area declared in 1973-74 taking into account the faster development taking place in the areas beyond the declared metropolitan area such as at

Sriperambudur, Kelambakkam , Thiruvallur and M M Nagar, etc,” the report added.

“Unplanned urbanisation results in imbalanced and lopsided development. Pattern of urbanisation among districts reveal a dismal dichotomy ranging from 100 per cent in Chennai to 11 per cent in Ariyalur, the report added.