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The Vice Chairman
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority
Egmore, Chennai
Dear Sir,
Sub: Comments on the draft Second Master Plan
I believe that Citizen consumer and civic Action Group has gone through the Draft second master plan for Chennai. The organization has come out with the following findings and suggestions on the master plan. I fully agree with their findings and urge you adopt the suggestions and incorporate them before the draft Master Plan is finalised. |
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There are no clear statements as to how the state’s plans and policies for development of Tamil Nadu and Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA), dovetail into the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) Master Plan. Schemes for development that are currently on-going (e.g. JNNURM and others) and the master plan proposals have not been tied up clearly. |
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Suggestion: The second master plans should reflect State development plans and should address integration of the plans. |
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| Approach to Development |
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Approach to development proposals is not uniform for all the areas within CMA.There is more focus on developing the southern portion of Chennai. |
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Suggestion: Plan should be holistic promote an equitable and balanced development for the entire CMA. |
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| Urban Poverty |
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No constructive proposals/plans for improving the quality of living of the urban poor. |
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Suggestion: Issues and needs of the urban poor should be addressed in a holistic way and facilities should be planned based on their requirements. |
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| Infrastructure facilities |
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Strategies or improvements suggested are not based on the realistic evaluation of the existing infrastructure facilities. |
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Suggestion: Issues on infrastructure facilities should be assessed on an informed real-time basis and strategies should be taken forward based on this assessment. |
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| Traffic and Transportation |
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Traffic Management measures are more biased towards motorized traffic and safety of pedestrians and cyclists are ignored. |
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Suggestion: Pedestrians and cyclists should necessarily be given a place in the traffic and transportation plan. |
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| Water supply |
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A comprehensive analysis of the water supply scenario lacking and water problems in the metropolitan area. Plan ignores critical measures needed to ensure sustainable water supply to CMA. |
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Suggestion: Water supply shortages should be recorded and a rational plan to overcome the inadequacies should be proposed. |
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| Solid Waste Management |
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There is no mention of the major issues like burning of wastes in Pallikaranai marsh, limited sewer lines and open defecation. |
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Suggestion: The plan should address current public concerns |
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| Social Facilities |
| Education and Health |
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Inadequacies in facilities like education and health have been overcome by adding such new facilities without considering the spatial location. |
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Suggestion: Provisions of new education and healthcare facilities should be determined based on data and analysis of the need, impact, and accessibility of these services. |
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| Telecommunication |
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There is no land use mapped for placement of ‘towers’ or antennas for telecommunication services. |
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Suggestion: Land use plan should clearly indicate the area for social facilities including the area for placement of towers and antenna. The land use plan could be detailed out at zonal level, to make it more authentic. |
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| Open Spaces |
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There is no link between the objectives of preservation of open spaces and protection of ecologically sensitive areas as stated in the plan strategy and the proposed land use. |
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Suggestion: The ecologically sensitive areas should be earmarked and zoned as protected areas. Parks and playgrounds should not be privatized nor be converted into built up areas. |
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| Land Use |
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The proposed land use change is vague. There is a lack of clarity in the plans as it is not prepared at the zonal level or neighborhood level. |
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Suggestion: The SMP should include details of proposed plans in specific localities, accompanied by easily readable, clear maps of the areas affected by changes. |
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| Overarching Suggestions |
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Disseminate the information (including issues and strategies) at the zonal / ward level. |
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The document should be made into simple understandable version in order to solicit more public comments on the plan. |
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Proposed changes to the transportation network should be based on analysis of current usage and impact studies. |
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Proposed changes to land use must be prepared based on data collected at the zonal or neighborhood level, taking into account the specific needs of each area’s residents. |
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A comprehensive plan for the poor should be prepared. Relocation plans for the urban poor must be considered as a service not as a project. |
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Clarity of maps should be improved. |
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The plan should be written and disseminated in a manner that both solicit and incorporates peoples’ mandate on development proposals in the city. |
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| Integration of plans |
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There are no clear statements as to how the state’s plans and policies for development of Tamil Nadu and Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA), dovetail into the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) Master Plan. Schemes for development that are currently on-going (e.g. JNNURM and others) and the master plan proposals have not been tied up clearly. |
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