Chennai, Aug 8:
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has announced a ₹500-crore investment this financial year under the Chief Minister’s Integrated Urban Development Mission (CMIUDM) to upgrade civic infrastructure in North Chennai and key resettlement colonies in the city’s southern suburbs.
The initiative will focus on improving roads, footpaths, pedestrian plazas and smart parking facilities in areas such as Ennore, Manali, Tiruvottiyur, Perambur, Vyasarpadi, Kannagi Nagar and Ezhil Nagar, aiming to ensure more balanced urban development.
GCC Commissioner G.S. Sameeran said priority is being given to economically and socially underdeveloped neighbourhoods where infrastructure requires urgent attention.
Of the total outlay, ₹350 crore will be spent on new projects during the current financial year, while ₹150 crore has been earmarked for the next fiscal. Officials indicated that allocations for such works are likely to increase in the coming years.
Civic works earlier undertaken under the Singara Chennai 2.0 programme—including park modernisation, playground upgrades, road relaying, footpath development and school infrastructure—will now continue under the CMIUDM framework.
While the Tamil Nadu Budget 2026–27 allocated ₹29,863 crore to the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department, no fresh funds have been earmarked for new flyovers in Chennai. The proposed ₹310-crore Velachery Bypass Road–Guru Nanak College Junction flyover has been partially put on hold due to financial constraints.
However, the Corporation has proposed a new flyover linking the Sona Bapu Statue on Nelson Manickam Road with Tank Bund Road near Loyola College to ease traffic congestion.
Officials said prioritising multiple infrastructure projects over a single large flyover would enable broader and more inclusive development across the city.
As part of the plan, the MAWS Department will also promote people-friendly streets with wider footpaths, cycling tracks, redesigned junctions and improved road connectivity. The Corporation is also planning 20 smart parking facilities across the city and infrastructure upgrades in the Ambattur and Guindy industrial estates.
Following the success of the pilot smart parking project in Anna Nagar, similar facilities are being planned in Adyar, Tiruvottiyur and Thyagaraya Nagar to improve urban mobility and parking management.