Third Master Plan for Chennai may take at least 6 months to be finalised: CMDA

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) Third Master Plan for Chennai is expected to take at least six months to be finalised, with inter-departmental consultations and statutory procedures still going on.

The draft of the Third Master Plan (TMP) 2026-47 for the proposed expanded Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) was initially slated to be released in January 2026. The Authority had floated tenders to formulate a comprehensive and integrated sub-plan for physical Infrastructure development in the context of the Third Master Plan for the existing unexpanded CMA.

A senior CMDA official said weekly stakeholder consultations involving government departments are under way, with officials validating data and suggesting corrections to the initial draft of the project. Meetings with departments such as the Greater Chennai Corporation, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, and Forest, Environment, Housing, Water Resources and Revenue Departments are being held regularly. After consultations are completed, the draft plan will be submitted to the State government, he said.

“Once the government clears the draft for publication, it will be placed in the public domain for the mandatory two-month consultation period. During this period, the CMDA will hold public stakeholder meetings to invite objections and suggestions. After compiling the feedback, the authority will submit the revised proposal to the government for approval before it is notified in the official gazette,” he added.

On environmental planning, the official said the Third Master Plan would include a chapter on conservation, covering lakes, blue-green infrastructure, urban parks, and open spaces. Existing reserved forests and open space reservation (OSR) lands would remain protected, while proposals for additional green spaces in the expanded metropolitan area were also being examined. The official said public consultations would be organised after the draft’s publication. Separate interactions to take suggestions from residents’ welfare associations, industry bodies, and other public interest organisations will be held. After these processes are completed, the plan will be submitted to the State government for the final approval, he said.

CMA expansion

On the proposed expansion of the CMA, the official said the government had already issued a Government Order on expanding the planning area from about 1,189 sq.km to 5,904 sq.km across five districts. However, planning permission in the newly added areas will continue to be handled by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).

“CMDA was ready to take over the expanded area, but amendments to the relevant rules were required before the authority could issue planning permissions in areas that do not have master plans or detailed development plans. The government had been requested to carry out the necessary amendments,” he said.

The official said the expansion would enable CMDA to prepare master plans for large undeveloped areas, unlike the existing metropolitan area, where redevelopment opportunities were limited. Wider roads, zoning regulations, and OSR lands could be planned in the expanded region, the official added.