The recent decision of the state government to examine the feasibility of expanding the metropolitan area of Chennai (CMA) has raised a mixture of mixed reactions from stakeholders.
CMA currently covers 1,189 square kilometers limited in 1975 and in 2018 the AIDMK government proposed that it was expanded almost eight times to 8,878 Km square by entering all Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur Regency, in addition to Arakkon and Taluks from Ranipet Regency.
The plan has collected dust for the past three years after the meeting to obtain residents of Kancheepuram and Chennai finished.
While this step will facilitate the creation of new cities in the Chennai environment, urban development experts question the need for an eight-fold increase in the area.
Former Professor of Urban Engineering at Anna University K P Subramanian said expansion would not even improve the quality of life of the community.
“The area proposed to be included in CMA in Chengalpet, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram Regency has rich fertile agricultural land, fertile greenery and a large amount of water body.
In accordance with the first masterplant, for example, agricultural land contributed 10% of the total area in 1975.
In accordance with the second masterplant, they shrank to 1% in 2006.
The trend would not be different, if CMA was expanded, “he said.
It may not be desirable to continue to expand the area because the size of the weight produces incompetent management and inefficient operations, he said.
“Small is always smarter,” he added.
Indicates that Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CCDA) only plays reactive roles in regulatory enforcement for the desire of labor and lack of institutional tissue, he accused that rampant violations and several and remote enforcement acts.
“Of the four new cities proposed in the previous Master Plan, only Maraimalai Nagar was developed.
There are no initiatives that have been taken so far to develop three other cities [Gummudipoondi, Sriperumbudur and Thiruvallur],” he added.
R Radhakrishnan, former National President of the Indian Association Builder, said that expansion can produce fruit only if the planning authority prohibits higher in the core area of Chennai, which needs to be associated with a fast transportation system to the suburbs.
“If not, it will lead to congestion in the core area, defeating the purpose of expansion,” he said.
S Murugaiyan, President of Thirunindravur Krishnapuram Hiding Association, said that the presence of this Western suburbs in CMA had not brought any benefits.
“We have not received an underground waste system or pipeline metrowater,” he said.
However, the source of housing and urban development departments said expanding CMA would help in regulated growth.
For example, agricultural land cannot be easily converted because there will be a process that includes looking for advice and objections from the public, an official said.
Chennai Metropolitan Area: How many too many?
