CHENNAI: The state government has decided to systematically identify vacant and underutilised land parcels held by state departments, public sector undertakings and statutory bodies within the old limits of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA), as part of a broader push to unlock land for industrial development, infrastructure projects and asset monetisation.
The exercise will be anchored by Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, which has proposed to engage a professional consultant to create a verified inventory.
A senior TIDCO official said the move reflects growing constraints in sourcing large land parcels within the city, adding the consultant’s role would be limited to identification and assessment. The government has not yet indicated how the land parcels, once mapped, would be deployed.
According to tender documents, the assignment will strictly cover land parcels falling within the notified Old CMA boundary, which spans about 1,189 sq km. Any land located outside the official CMDA boundary, even if held by government agencies, will be excluded from the study.
The scope of the exercise spans land owned or controlled by the state government departments, PSUs and corporations, and statutory boards and authorities. The consultant will be tasked with identifying and verifying vacant or underutilised land, assessing ownership, extent, current usage, encumbrances and broad development potential.
The work programme includes institutional mapping and data collection, physical site inspections, verification of land and revenue records, and classification of parcels based on usage status and zoning. Geo-tagged site photographs and GIS-based spatial mapping will be used to build a centralised digital land database compatible with future government IT systems.
Land parcels will be evaluated for suitability for industrial development, infrastructure projects, public-private partnerships, joint ventures or monetisation through leasing. The consultant will also flag parcels affected by litigation, acquisition proceedings or statutory restrictions, though legal title certification will remain outside the assignment’s scope.
The assignment is expected to be completed within 16 weeks, excluding the time taken for government approvals.
Any delay arising from non-availability or incomplete data from departments will be formally recorded and will not be attributed to the consultant, sources added.