Focus will be on housing, says O. Panneerselvam; funds sought to renovate waterbodies

The State government is formulating a special plan for the development of north Chennai, which has a significant proportion of residents living below the poverty line, said Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam here on Friday.

Addressing the valedictory session of the Urban Thinkers Campus conference on ‘Chennai as a Global City’, organised by the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), he said, “Chennai, which has a rich history dating back 2,000 years, is set to witness a lot of infrastructure changes under the Smart Cities programme.” He indicated that the new plan for the northern parts of the city could include housing infrastructure.

Mr. Panneerselvam said he took pride in the new public transport infrastructure being built under the Integrated Urban Transport System, comprising Metro Rail Phase I and Extension as well as Phase II, for which a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for 107 kilometres was being considered by the Central government. “The integration of the Mass Rapid Transit System with Metro Rail is also at an advanced stage, and a DPR for the Bus Rapid Transit System would be prepared shortly,” he announced. Mr. Panneerselvam said the officials participating in the conference had been directed to take note of all the suggestions put forward by various speakers to turn Chennai into a truly world-class city.

Raj Cherubal, Chief Executive Officer, Chennai Smart City Limited, said that a positive momentum had gathered under the Smart City project, with officials from various government departments coordinating with each other to initiate several mega projects, including the pedestrian plaza in T. Nagar. He pointed out that the pre-bid meeting for the parking management and cycle sharing had been completed, and expressed hope that the projects would take off in the coming weeks. Mr. Cherubal requested the members of the MCCI to take up, as a challenge, raising Rs. 1 crore to renovate the hundreds of waterbodies in and around the city as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Anand Iyer of the National Institute of Urban Affairs called on the State government to create a digital data platform, integrating various utilities. The platform, he said, would help in cost savings, creating opportunities and ensuring better planning. Gayathri Sriram, vice-president, MCCI, gave an assurance that the chamber would involve itself in the restoration of waterbodies in the future.