CMDA sets ball rolling for Chennai’s 3rd master plan

The third master plan, which would commence from 2026, would incorporate mitigation measures in response to identified disaster and resilience risks apart from addressing climate change and adaptation principles as relevant to a coastal city. Chennai’s major issue, acute water shortages, will also be incorporated. The second master plan for CMA was approved in 2008. The planning authority, meanwhile, has admitted that implementation of the second master plan has been far from perfect.

“Weak implementation of master plans in cities like Chennai is often due to several reasons, including geopolitical reality, changes in economy and markets, lack of enforcement when it comes to non-conformity, and weak links between the master plan and capital investment programmes,” the document stated. The CMDA has invited requests for expression of interest from consultancy firms for preparing vision documents. The government has applied for financing from the World Bank towards the cost of Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development project, under which the third plan would be prepared.