City expansion to wait as CMDA continues to collate public opinion

Although the plan to expand was mooted nearly eight years ago, the official announcement was made in the State assembly in July 2017. It took another six months to issue the Government Order. The GO of January 22, 2018, envisaged the linking of neighbouring two districts, and Arakkonam and Nemili taluks of Vellore district.

Following the order, the CMDA had initiated steps to stretch Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) to 8,878 sq km from the current 1,189 sq km. “The CMA will subsume as many as 1,709 villages,” the order said.

However, the scheme that received more oppositions than approvals is yet to materialise, as the CMDA is yet to collate the opinions of stakeholders that it had collected through public meetings in all the four districts. “We have sent most of the gathered opinions to the State government to make a final decision. But details of the last meeting have to be collated and sent. The government will take action based on the stakeholders’ suggestions,” a CMDA source said.

Speaking about the apprehensions of the public, the source added that the expansion would happen by considering the demands. “But the expansion will take some time and it will happen only next year,” he said.

It may be noted that most of the participants in the stakeholders’ meetings had opposed the proposal and raised apprehension of losing agricultural lands and water bodies due to forced urbanisation. Even in the meeting held in Ripon Buildings in April, some residents blamed CMDA for its failure in ensuring planned development in Chennai.

Unlike Greater Chennai Corporation, which has 15 zonal offices and 3 regional offices to cater to the local public, CMDA has only one head office occupying the Thalamuthu Natarajan building in Egmore. When DT Next asked about the ‘imminent’ difficulty to be faced by the residents of faraway villages of CMA, an official said that the CMDA would be separated into three zones. The residents could visit respective zonal offices to get services such as acquiring planning permission, completion certificates and others.