CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday reviewed the CMDA’s proposal to expand the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) which has been pending for a long time.
The previous AIADMK government wanted to expand the CMA from 1,189 sqkm to 8,878 sqkm. While the expansion of Chennai Metropolitan Area as envisaged under the earlier plan would have made the city the second largest in the country, the new plan proposes the CMA to cover an area of 5,904 sqkm.
According to sources, CMDA has suggested trifurcation of the metropolitan area, with the existing CMA being known as CMA Central and expanded areas being called CMA North and CMA South. The expanded areas would be covered under regional plans and not master plan, official sources said.
The Chennai Metropolitan Area North will consist of eight taluks covering an area of 2,908 sqkm including Gummidipoondi, Ponneri, Uthukottai, Tirutanni (partly), Arakonnam (partly), Thiruvallur, Poonamallee (partly) and Sriperumbudur. The South CMA will consist of 1,809 sqkm spread across seven taluks of Kancheepuram, Walajabad, Chengalpattu, Thirukalukundram, Thiruporur, Kundrathur (partly) and Vandalur (partly).
CMDA member-secretary Anshul Mishra was not present during the meeting on Tuesday. Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru, Housing and Urban Development Minister S Muthuswami, Tamil Nadu Minister for Rural Development K R Periakaruppan, Chief Secretary Irai Anbu, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Secretary Shiv Das Meena, Greater Chennai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department Secretary P Amudha and Housing Secretary Hitesh Kumar Makwana took part in the meeting.