CHENNAI: Twenty years after the state government devised a Draft Tamil Nadu Land Use Policy 2004, the State Planning Commission (SPC) has prepared a draft Sustainable Land Use Policy of Tamil Nadu (SLUP) keeping in mind multi-sectoral challenges in planning land use and new problems due to changing economic structure and environmental exigencies.
The draft submitted to Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday points out that Tamil Nadu appears to be shifting towards horticulture crops, and Dindigul, Krishnagiri, Salem, Erode, Tiruchy, Dharmapuri, Tiruvallur and Namakkal are prominent districts for horticulture and floriculture. Hence, potential parcels of lands for horticulture should be identified and farmers in those regions should be encouraged through special schemes, the plan said.
The draft underscores the importance of a holistic spatial land use planning instead of piecemeal allocation of land for development projects.
The policy is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), addressing critical issues such as deforestation, rapid urbanisation, and water scarcity through integrated land management.
The policy underscored the need to factor in climate change and vulnerability assessment in land use planning and regulation in the context of global warming and climate change.
The policy has recommended evolving a special land use strategy to address urban expansion and outgrowth. The state should review the contemporary relevance of previous regional plans and revise or prepare new regional and sub-regional plans, which should be prepared for 15-20 years with a review and revision every five years on a rolling basis.
The policy said unnecessary pooling of land into land banks should be avoided. While converting land to industrial corridors and estates, suitable attention must be paid to the existing natural ecosystem and resources so that fragile ecosystems are not put under pressure.
The policy said the state should formulate a Pasture Land and Grazing Policy and assess livestock scenarios in terms of economic, social and nutritional resources, given the changing circumstances, including lifestyles and agricultural practices, by 2025.
In the industries and services sector, attention should be given to setting up new industrial hubs in areas that are identified as unused and fallow (land use remains unaltered for more than 3 to 5 years) by using technologies like remote-sensing.
The draft also said land use planning is a potential disaster reduction and mitigation tool. The SLUP introduces a zoning system that categorizes land into four primary zones: Development, Conservation, Agricultural, and Transition. The draft noted that land use patterns in Tamil Nadu have undergone tremendous transformation due to urbanisation and industrialisation, and these changes are associated with ecological changes.
“The rapid urbanisation, converting vacant parcels of land and waterbodies for urban requirements and unscientific approaches towards the development of cities has led to multiple issues like flooding, groundwater shortage and urban heat islands,” the draft policy underscored.