CHENNAI: After Housing Secretary Hitesh Kumar Makwana recently flagged an ‘error’ in the second Master Plan over classification of land in Nandambakkam as portion of Adyar, questions are being raised over failure to review the Master Plan regularly for the past 13 years.
Official sources said Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has been functioning without a vice-chairman for more than 11 years and this has impacted major policy decisions, including review of the second Master Plan.
The absence of a vice-chairman has impacted the checks and balances system and the housing and urban secretary who looks after various departments may not have adequate time to take care of these additional responsibilities.
This post is usually occupied by principal secretary or additional chief secretary cadre, but after the transfer and retirement of additional chief secretary Susan Mathew in May 2011, the post has remained vacant.
There are six committees under the second Master Plan and they are: Committee on Economy & Employment, Committee on Shelter, Committee on Infrastructure, Committee on Investment, Committee on Land Use and Environment and Committee on Traffic and Transport. It is learnt that the vice-chairman acts as the chairman of the six committees.
As per norms, the committee should meet at least once every three months and action taken by the committee should be reported to the CMDA Authority in March and August every year, said sources.
“Any development requires a Master Plan. Since 2008, the committees have hardly met. If the housing secretary is blaming the Master Plan, he should have taken up the exercise of reviewing it.
The lack of a vice-chairman for the last 11 years has resulted in the committee hardly meeting even once,” said Association of Professional Town Planners (APTP) president KM Sadanand. He also came down heavily against the policy of employing consultants for projects without finding out whether they are beneficial to people or not.
Sources said peri-urban areas of Chennai are facing a threat of unplanned development as CMDA is yet to complete a single-detailed development plan. Had there been a vice-chairman then the DDPs would have been reviewed.
Post vacant since ’11
The post of vice-chairman, which is usually occupied by principal secretary or additional chief secretary cadre, has remained vacant since the transfer and retirement of additional chief secretary Susan Mathew in May 2011