Under the project that envisages developing 426 sq km of roads in Chennai, there will be no road cutting for the next 30 years, Minister S. P. Velumani said

The Greater Chennai Corporation should significantly add to its urban planning capacity and come out with a vision and area development plans, said Vikram Kapur, chairman, Tangedco.

“Needs such as electricity, water, parking and others need to be upgraded frequently. Streets should be designed in such a manner that they are amenable to future upgradation and not dug up. We can have specialised ducts or a tree line/area in the streets where all these utilities can go,” he said adding that this can happen only if it is planned well.

Mr. Kapur was speaking on the topic ‘Seamless inter-departmental coordination in urbanscape projects’, at the launch of Greater Chennai Corporation’s Chennai Mega Streets and Adoption of Complete Streets Framework, on Tuesday.

Appreciating the Mega Streets plan, he said that it should be given statutory teeth. “We have to incorporate this into the development regulation of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). There are rules for building and lay outs, but there are none for streets. Street designs should be incorporated into development regulations,” he added.

S. P. Velumani, Minister for Municipal Administration, Rural Development and Implementation of Special Projects, launched the Chennai Mega Streets and Adoption of Complete Streets Framework and explained its salient features.

He said that the project is proposed for 426 sq km in Chennai city, with 600 km of Greater Chennai Corporation streets for redevelopment and 286 km of urban roads under other departments within Corporation limits.

Phase 1 of the project focuses on a core area of 70 sq km of the North, Central and South Chennai areas: transforming 110 km of arterial and sub-arterial streets in the neighbourhoods of Anna Nagar, Tondiarpet, Nungambakkam, Mylapore,Velachery and Adyar.

Some of the major roads to be redeveloped in this core area are: R. K. Salai, Cathedral Road, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Sardar Patel Road, LB Road, Thiruvotriyur High Road, New Avadi Road, Royapettah High Road, Kutchery Road and Greenways Road among others.

“This will ensure safety for pedestrians, cyclists, women, children, elderly and differently-abled. There will be no road cutting for the next 30 years,” he said.

A.K. Viswanathan, City police commissioner, who also spoke during the plenary session pointed out that many road fatalities and accidents can be reduced by allotting space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Dharmendra Pratap Yadav, principal secretary, transport department. Shreya Gadepalli, South Asia Lead, Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and other dignitaries spoke at the event.