CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has mandated the integration of infrastructure availability and natural hazard considerations into land-use planning and zoning regulations to prevent unplanned development and improve public safety, according to an order issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department.
The order, issued on August 4, was based on a proposal of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning to make availability of trunk infrastructure such as water supply, sewerage, power, and hazard considerations an integral part of land-use planning. The move will require planning authorities to consider the availability infrastructure before permitting development.
The order notes that the failure to integrate infrastructure availability and hazard considerations into planning processes has resulted in unregulated development, increased vulnerability to natural hazards, and disruption of vital services. It says a comprehensive policy framework is therefore essential to ensure sustainable development.
Under the new framework, land-use plans and zoning regulations will have to incorporate mandatory infrastructure requirements and hazard-based restrictions. Hazard mapping will be done and it will identify areas where development is prohibited because of natural hazards, while hazard maps will prescribe minimum separation distances between residential zones and hazardous occupancies.
The government has also ordered that hazard maps identifying prohibited zones, minimum separation distances and no-construction areas be formally approved by the competent authority and published for public access. This, the order says, will improve transparency, public awareness and implementation.
As mandated under TN Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, DTCP is preparing GIS-based Master Plans for 123 towns. GIS-based Master Plans for Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchy, Hosur, Thoothukudi and Rajapalayam have already been approved.
The plans assess trunk infrastructure against present and projected requirements before land-use assignments are finalised, the order said.
