Tamil Nadu: Hill areas set for real estate development
Speaking in the state assembly, Muthusamy said that boundaries of HACA areas are presently demarcated based on the boundaries of the villages
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CHENNAI: In a move to promote more developmental projects in hill areas, the state housing and urban development minister S Muthusamy announced that the boundaries of the hill areas that fall under Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) will be delineated to release about 60 per cent of such areas from the control of the Authority.
Speaking in the state assembly, Muthusamy said that boundaries of HACA areas are presently demarcated based on the boundaries of the villages. “Boundaries of some villages may extend up to 10 km, and some might be constricted within 2 km. So, we have decided to delineate the HACA areas based on survey numbers. This will release about 60 per cent of the HACA areas,” he added.
At present, as many as 597 villages in 16 districts lie in hill areas and are under the purview of the HACA. The department has already conducted a pilot study in Kanniyakumari and Coimbatore to change the boundaries as per the survey numbers.
“This study considers factors such as Geomorphology, Slope analysis, Lithology, Soil, and Land Use Land Cover (LULC) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for detailed analysis. The draft report on this study is currently under review. After the report is finalised, this work will be extended to all the hill areas notified under the HACA,” the department's policy note tabled in the Assembly, said.
Further, Muthusamy informed the assembly that the department has taken measures to increase the master plan coverage in the state to 22 per cent of the total area. Presently, only 7 per cent of the area is governed under master plans.
“To make reforms in town planning, a master plan unit will be established in the town planning department. Experts in town planning and young town planners will be appointed to the unit,” one of his announcements said.
Moreover, the department will prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) for preparing master plans to ensure proper data collection, stakeholders' participation, and sustainability.
