Tamil Nadu: Purasawalkam, Triplicane, few areas in Coimbatore, Madurai set to get a makeover
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Housing Secretary Hitesh Kumar Makwana on Thursday said the government is planning to redevelop Purasawalkam, Triplicane, and a few areas in Coimbatore and Madurai.
Speaking during a public hearing convened to discuss the redevelopment of George Town, where the first settlement of the city of Madras began, Makwana said the concept of redeveloping old towns was conceived after the Bhuj earthquake in 2001 that resulted in huge loss of lives.
Interestingly, the hurriedly convened public hearing lacked representation from George Town. Only a few people were present at the meeting. It was dominated by architects, students and teachers from planning schools, CMDA personnel, government officials and association members of a few trade organisations in George Town.
A few representatives of the trader's body reasoned that the meeting was called at the last minute and it resulted in minuscule participation. Chennai was selected among the 25 cities for two pilot projects - one in George Town and the other in Agaram Then Village (St Thomas Panchayat Union) - as part of the Union government’s Amrut scheme.
As per the project, a 150-hectare area will be redeveloped in George Town. Agaram Then Village has been selected for the pilot project under the town planning scheme. The Union government has sanctioned `2 crores for both projects.
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had earlier invited officials from various departments to share their suggestions and ideas for the proposed development of the local area plan of George Town. CMDA planned to redevelop George Town in-house after its initial plans to hire independent consultants on a part-time basis for a year did not take off.
During the public hearing, George Town residents mainly highlighted the parking woes in the narrow streets and mushrooming of unauthorised buildings. They sought separate parking areas for two-wheelers and cars. The traders highlighted that street vendor should also be accommodated in the redevelopment plan.
The George Town area identified for the pilot project is bordered by Basin Bridge Road on the north, Rajaji Salai on the east, North Fort Road and Periyar EVR Salai on the south and Wall Tax Road on the west. The area selected for the pilot project is classified under different land use zones which include primary residential, mixed residential use zone, and institutional and industrial use zones as per the Second Master Plan Land Use Map.
80 per cent of the 150 buildings in George Town are in a dilapidated condition as per Chennai corporation. Also less than 1 per cent of buildings are built without any violations, as per the survey carried out by Chennai Corporation.
Justice Rajeswaran Committee had stated that data from the survey carried out by Chennai Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority revealed most of the constructions have been made without any regard to planning parameters.
According to a survey presented at the public hearing by CMDA, it was pointed out that 50 per cent of the plots are under half ground (1,200 square feet) and 80 per cent of plots are under one ground. The study also said only 5% have access to public toilets during business hours. Similarly, 63 per cent of vendors’ business gets affected due to sewerage and rainwater stagnation.
Makwana later said a separate e-mail id will be created by CMDA so that the people can provide their opinion on the redevelopment of George Town.