Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Chennai Metropolitan Area boundary to be extended

CHENNAI: The boundary of the Chennai Metropolitan Area will be increased, and there will be no change in the Floor Space Index (FSI) norms for buildings.

These were two of the major decisions taken by the Cabinet sub-committee on master plan on Monday.

The committee has also decided to allow multi-storey buildings in roads that are 40 feet wide, and there will be no restriction on the height of the buildings on 120-foot-wide road.

The recommendations have been submitted to the Chief Minister.

The existing boundary extends up to Uthandi on East Coast Road (ECR) and near Vandalur on Grand South Trunk (GST) Road and Siruseri on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR).

The CMDA had earlier recommended that the boundary be extended to Maraimalai Nagar on GST road, Tiruvidanthai on ECR and up to Thiruporur on OMR. The extent of the approved extension is yet to be known.

The sub-committee has recommended building vegetable, fruit and grain markets in various zones of the city. It has also recommended private truck terminals in different parts to end wayward parking of trucks on roads. Furthermore, it has proposed to strengthen the Sathangadu iron and steel market.

The floor space index is the ratio that determines the extent of permissible built-up area in a plot. The index for ordinary buildings is 1.5, and for multi-storey buildings 2.5. The draft second master plan and the expert committee had not proposed any change. However, the previous meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee discussed the proposals to modify the floor space index and height restrictions. Experts and NGOs objected to such modifications.

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