Chennai metropolitan area

Chennai metropolitan area's economy of US$58.6 billion PPP[3] (US$17 billion nominal GDP, 2010)[4] is currently rated the fourth-largest economy in India, ahead of the Bangalore metropolitan area and after the Kolkata metropolitan area.[note 1]

While no official figure has been given for the population in the newly expanded Chennai metropolitan area, the urban population was estimated to be over 10 million in early 2017.[2][5] The 2011 census figure for the population of the Chennai "UA/Metropolitan region" was 8,653,521.[6]

The CMA is a metropolitan area in Tamil Nadu state, consisting of the state capital Chennai (previously known as Madras) and its satellite towns. Developing over a period of about 20 years, it consists of 8 municipal corporations and 14 smaller municipal councils. The entire area is overseen by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), a Tamil Nadu State Government organisation in charge of town planning, development, transportation and housing in the region. The CMDA was formed to address the challenges in planning and development of integrated infrastructure for the metropolitan region. The areas outside Greater Chennai Corporation (Chennai District) like Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur have lacked organised development.

The CMA comprises the city of Chennai, Avadi, 8 Municipalities, 11 Town Panchayats and 179 Village Panchayats in 10 Panchayat Unions. The CMA has an area of 1,189 km².[1] It includes the whole of the Chennai District, along with the Ambattur, Gummidipoondi, Madhavaram, Ponneri, Poonamallee and Tiruvallur taluks of the Tiruvallur District, Sriperumbudur and Kundrathur taluks of the Kancheepuram District, Pallavaram, Vandalur and Tambaram taluks of the Chengalpattu district.

The CMA falls in three Districts of the Tamil Nadu State viz. Chennai District, part of Thiruvallur District, and part of Kancheepuram District. The extent of the Chennai District (covered in Chennai Municipal Corporation area) is 426 km² and comprises 55 revenue villages in 10 Taluks [viz. (i) Tondiarpet Taluk, (ii) Perambur Taluk, (iii) Purasawalkam Taluk, (iv) Egmore Taluk, (v) Mambalam Taluk, (vi) Guindy Taluk, (vii) Mylapore Taluk, (viii) Velachery Taluk, (ix) Aminjikarai Taluk and (x) Ayanavaram Taluk. In Thiruvallur District out of total district area of 3,427 km², 637 km². in Ambattur, Thiruvallur, Ponneri and Poonamallee taluks fall in CMA. In Kancheepuram District out of 4,433 km², 376 km² in Tambaram, Sriperumbudur and Chengalpattu district fall in the metropolitan area.

CMA region has about 3,000 water bodies, most of which have been encroached upon by real estate dealers and small communities.[7]

The Chennai metropolitan area is set to be expanded further, incorporating the entire districts of Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram, and the Arakkonam taluk, Nemili Taluk of the Ranipet district.[8] In future it may expand further. Plans to expand Chennai Metropolitan Area seven folds from existing 1,189 sq. km to 8,878 sq. km appears to be scaled down in view of opposition from the farmer in giving up their agricultural lands. The Government is looking at maximum utilization of the available spaces in the core city and urbanized pockets in the suburbs for residential development. Only area well connected with the available rail infrastructure will be included in the expansion plan of CMA. The extent of expansion will be scaled down from 8,878 sq. km to 3,000–4,000 sq. km. [9]

1. Avadi Corporation
2. Greater Chennai Corporation

1. Poonamallee
2. Thiruverkadu
3. Pallavaram
4. Tambaram
5. Pammal
6. Anakaputhur
7. Sembakkam

1. Chennai district (complete)
2. Kanchipuram district (partial)
3. Tiruvallur district (partial)
4. Chengalpattu district (partial)

from Chennai district

1. Alandur
2. Ambattur
3. Aminjikarai
4. Ayanavaram
5. Egmore
6. Guindy
7. Madhavaram
8. Maduravoyal
9. Mambalam
10. Mylapore
11. Perambur
12. Purasawalkam
13. Sholinganallur
14. Thiruvottiyur
15. Tondiarpet
16. Velachery

from Tiruvallur district

1. Poonamallee
2. Ponneri (partial)
3. Tiruvallur (partial)
4. Avadi

from Kanchipuram district

1. Sriperumbudur (partial)
2. Kundrathur (partial)

from Chengalpattu district

1. Pallavaram
2. Tambaram
3. Vandalur (partial)

Proposed expansion of the CMA (chosen option)

The CMDA regulates developments in the Chennai metropolitan area through the issuance of planning permission under section 49 of the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act 1971.[10][11]

The first plans to expand the CMA were proposed by the CMDA in 2011. The need for expansion arose as several nearby settlements such as Sriperumbudur, Kelambakkam, Tiruvallur and Maraimalai Nagar had been undergoing rapid development and had to be incorporated under the CMDA planning strategy. Also, the planning bodies of other metropolises in India such as Bengaluru, New Delhi and Hyderabad had already redefined their respective metropolitan regions to include much larger areas and corresponding regional planning was being done. The CMA, however, has not been altered since it was first defined in 1974. The area was limited to 1,189 km² (459 sq mi) which is among the smallest in the country.[12]

In July 2012, the CMDA suggested two options to the Government of Tamil Nadu for expanding the area:

• The first option includes the whole of the Chennai district, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Poonamallee, Ponneri, Gummidipoondi, Uthukottai, and Thiruvallur taluks of the Tiruvallur district, and Alandur, Pallavaram, Tambaram, Sholinganallur, Chengalpattu, Thiruporur, and Sriperumbudur taluks of the Kancheepuram district extending up to 4,459 km² (1,722 sq mi).
• The second option includes the whole of Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts and the Arakkonam taluk of Ranipet district and extends to a total of 8,878 km² (3,428 sq mi).

Chief planners of the CMDA have suggested that the second option is more feasible.[13] Another planning model, similar to the National Capital Region was also examined by the CMDA. In order to plan for balanced regional development, developing a larger road network, implementing an integrated transport plan and identifying a Chennai Mega Region have become necessary.[14]

On 3 July 2017, the Government of Tamil Nadu's minister for housing and urban development, Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan announced its intention to expand the CMA to 8,878 km² (3,428 sq mi). The extension will cover all of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts and Arakkonam taluk of Ranipet district, as proposed in July 2012. Having completed a feasibility study, a "strategic regional plan" was now required, and completion of the whole process was expected by July 2018.[15][16]

On 22 January 2018 the Government of Tamil Nadu issued order G.O. (Ms) No.13 to "declare the intention to include additional areas in the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area" under section 2, clause (23-a) of the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971 (Tamil Nadu Act 35 of 1972). The additional areas to be included were as proposed by the CMDA in 2017.[17][18][19] Under Tamil Nadu Act 35 the Tamil Nadu government is required to allow reasonable opportunity (two months according to §10.3) for inhabitants, local authorities and institutions in the area to comment upon or object to such an expansion proposals.[20] Although less than 100 objections to the expansion plans were received, a public interest litigation action was launched at the Madras High Court in March 2018.[21]

• Mumbai metropolitan area
• Delhi metropolitan area
• Kolkata metropolitan area
• List of metropolitan areas in Asia by population

• Chennai metropolitan area map
• CDMA plan