CHENNAI: Nearly five years after the state first issued orders to create Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) for six cities, the Tamil Nadu government has said that the authorities will finally be made operational in a phased manner.
Urban Development Minister B Rajkumar told the Assembly on Friday that UDAs would be established in Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchy, Tiruppur, Salem, and Hosur. The proposed UDAs will have wider planning and infrastructure development powers akin to the CMDA.
In 2021, UDAs were announced for the six cities, followed by the issuance of G.Os on the same. The TN Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, was amended in 2022 to provide a statutory framework for the authorities, but they did not become operational.
Rajkumar also said regional plans were being prepared for 10 regions to guide development beyond individual towns and cities. Draft reports for five regions — Madurai, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Vellore, and Villupuram — are expected to be completed by April 2027.
The government is also moving towards GIS-based master planning for urban areas. TN now has 123 Master Plans covering 130 towns, while final Master Plans for eight regions are expected by April 2027. He also said an order was earlier issued to expand the Chennai Metropolitan Area from 1,189 sq km to 5,904 sq km, but a Master Plan was not prepared. CMDA is now preparing the Third Master Plan for 2027-2046 for the existing 1,189-sq-km area. A separate Comprehensive Master Plan is proposed for the expanded area, he said.
The minister also announced that a committee has been formed for GIS-assisted field surveys in Coimbatore district to identify areas that could be excluded from the Hill Area Planning region. He said a similar exercise would subsequently be undertaken in other protected hill areas.