The Housing and Urban Development department of Tamil Nadu government has notified 804.5 sq. km. of area as Trichy urban planning area under the jurisdiction of the proposed Trichy urban development authority.
Once the notification is published in the government and district gazette, the department will constitute a board for the authority to create a detailed development plan for better utilisation of the land parcels in the urban planning area.
In the government order dated November 23, the director of the town and country planning has requested the government to notify 30 villages forming Trichy Corporation, one village categorised as a municipality, 12 villages classified as town panchayat and 103 revenue villages as Trichy urban planning area.
The area was suggested by the Local Planning Authority in Trichy based on a study to identify the urbanised and developing area in Trichy city and surrounding areas in 2021-2022. At present, the local planning authority here has a staff strength of 20-25 employees and the authority has no enforcement wing to act against building plan deviations.
With the formation of Trichy urban development authority, the employee strength would go up to 50, and a separate wing to enforce rules such as stop work notices and demolition notices will be formed.
“Alike CMDA in Chennai, the proposed authority will act as a catalyst to plan the developments in and around Trichy city. Effective utilisation of land through creating master plans and classification of land parcels will attract investments in our tier-II cities,” a senior official with the housing and urban development department said.
The authority will have a board with a chairman, member secretary and members to be nominated by the chairman as stakeholders to draft development plans.
Two IAS cadre officials will be appointed to monitor the planning area. Approvals for building plans and new layouts can be sanctioned by the authority like the CMDA, thereby facilitating quick approvals for infrastructure projects.
“The authority acting as the custodian of the land will get funds from both the Union and state governments to prepare development plans periodically to attract investments,” the official added. The area selected for the urban development authority is in line with the proposal to expand the boundaries of Trichy Corporation.
