New towns in CMA to be developed systematically

CHENNAI: Developing new towns within the Chennai Metropolitan Area will become more systematic, and will address mobility and environmental aspects, as the Housing and Urban Development Department issued an order formulating development rules.

This will be key in the development of new towns in Tirumazhisai, Minjur, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu that were announced by Minister S Muthusamy in the Assembly.

According to the order dated August 8, the new town development plan should include provisions for compatible transit-oriented development along major corridors integrating features like pedestrianisation and cycling to reduce carbon footprint. The plan should also include provision for the preparation of a grid of road plans to improve accessibility. There should also be provision for climate resilience measures such as comprehensive macro and micro drainage plan, flood inundation and climate hazard mapping, disaster and risk management plan, plan for the protection of eco-sensitive areas, development of blue-green infrastructure, encouraging energy-efficient development, prevention of pollution, reclamation of polluted lands (salt pans, hazardous landfills, other brownfields).

Plans for tourism and waterfront development, water resource augmentation, solid waste management and heritage conservation have also been made mandatory, apart from applying integrated land use and infrastructure planning principles that coordinate plans across key sectors, including economic development, public health, safety, energy and education. Within a year of a new town being announced, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) should prepare land and building use map in Geographical Information System (GIS) platform or any other digital platform with geo-referencing, the order said. The authority should prepare the New Town Development Plan after consulting the local authorities, it added.