CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has dropped the proposed Kancheepuram new town development plan (satellite town plan) and the detailed development and heritage revitalisation plan. These projects were initiated during the previous DMK government.
The Housing and Urban Development department recently issued an order rescinding its 2023 notification for preparation of these plans for the 2025-2045 period. Housing and Urban Development secretary R Kirlosh Kumar told TNIE that the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) is preparing a master plan for the Kancheepuram Local Planning Area.
“Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had proposed the new town development plan for the same region. To avoid duplication, the government has now proposed to drop the plan proposed by the CMDA,” he said. DTCP has roped in Anna University to prepare the plan, which is expected to be ready before August 2027.
According to a notification issued by the department in February 2023, the Kancheepuram new town development plan was proposed to cover 36 sq km encompassing 17 revenue villages. Before the notification, the CMDA had passed a resolution stating that Kancheepuram had been developing in a haphazard manner, resulting in the growth of commercial establishments and traffic congestion in the core area.
To rectify some of these issues, a detailed development plan focusing on heritage and redevelopment of the core area, and a new town development plan focusing on villages abutting NH-48 were proposed. “Except for the notification, nothing progressed in the Kancheepuram new town development plan. A similar fate is also expected for some of the other new town development proposals,” a source said.
The previous DMK government had issued separate notifications for new town development plans under different themes for Chengalpattu (urban centre), Thiruvallur (knowledge hub), Thirumazhisai (innovation city), Minjur (industrial and port hub) and Mahabalipuram (tourism and recreation).
There were also proposals to develop Sriperumbudur as an industrial cluster, Maraimalai Nagar as a manufacturing hub and Parandur as an aerotropolis. However, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has since announced the dropping of the Parandur airport project, rendering the proposed Parandur new town plan redundant.