Undue delay in release of Tiruchi Master Plan 2021-2041 raises concern among stakeholders

More than 19 months have passed since the State government unveiled its draft Tiruchi Master Plan for 2021-2041 years, but the final plan is yet to be released.

As a step towards shaping, regulating, and streamlining the growth of Tiruchi and its sub urban and neighbouring rural areas in the next 20 years, the State government unveiled its draft Tiruchi Master Plan on February 7, 2024. As per the draft plan, the area of the Tiruchi Master Plan will go up from the existing 281.14 sq. km. to 804.55 sq. km. The boundaries of the existing Tiruchi Corporation, Lalgudi, and Thuvakudi municipalities, four town panchayats, and 103 villages have been included in the draft Master Plan.

The urban radial of the plan extends up to Manachanallur in the north, Lalgudi, and Thuvakudi in the northeast, Kuzhumani in the west and Pudukottai district boundary, Manikandam and Olaiyur in the south. However, the State government excluded Manapparai and Thuraiyur municipalities from the draft proposal as they were situated far away from urban radials of Tiruchi.

The plan came out with a scheme of physical infrastructure such as water supply and power supply, mobility networks such as roads and ring roads, urban forestry and land use. Of 804.55 sq. km., the land classified as residential comes about 195 sq. km. About 60 sq. km was added in the residential area classification.

Upon the release of the draft plan, many residents, including civil engineers, builders, contractors, former State and Central government officials and real estate promoters, submitted their complaints and suggestions on the plan.

The District Town and Country Plan received over 400 complaints. While some objections were related to the expansion of the areas, some others related to the classification of the land. There were demands for reclassification of land. After disposing of them by taking necessary actions, the officials, thereafter, submitted the final draft of the Master Plan to the Directorate of Town and Country Plan (DTCP) about a year ago.

Changes sought

When it was expected that the State government would give its approval for the modified draft Master Plan soon, the DTCP returned the draft proposal to its Tiruchi office, seeking further changes by including the proposed major infrastructure plans in the next 20 years by various departments in the draft plan areas of Tiruchi. The DTCP in Tiruchi subsequently sent a circular to the heads of several departments to submit the details of the infrastructure development schemes. Several of them have said to have submitted the details. But, the final proposal has not been readied yet, thereby causing concern among the stakeholders.

“The establishment of the integrated bus terminus at Panjapur and the construction of Tidel park on the outskirts of Tiruchi has fuelled the much needed expansion of the city. It is poised to grow at a faster pace. Considering the fast-tracked activities in and around Panjapur, the State should have notified the final report of the Tiruchi Master Plan much earlier. It would have paved the way for well regulated and systematised growth of the city,” says Suresh Krishnan, a member of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association (CREDAI).

“It is a strategic document, projecting the organised growth trajectory of Tiruchi for the next 20 years from 2021 to 2041. The new master plan is already overdue and five years have passed in the plan period. Further delay in releasing the final plan will not augur well for the regulated growth of Tiruchi,” says J. Madhan Mohan, a Tiruchi-based entrepreneur.

DTCP sources told The Hindu that the proposed development proposals submitted by various departments were being incorporated in the draft plan. A few more departments were yet to submit their plans. The Master Plan for Coimbatore had been released. Steps were expedited to release the Master Plan for Madurai soon. Once it was released, steps would be expedited to release the Master Plan for Tiruchi.