Chennai, Oct 22:
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has cancelled a tender finalised by the previous DMK regime for preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for a proposed campus of the Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies (TNIUS) at Mamallapuram.
The cancellation has been attributed to administrative reasons and comes amid the new government’s reported decision to review tenders finalised during the last six months of the previous regime.
The proposed campus was planned across 74 acres and was intended to expand the institute’s capacity to train officials from urban local bodies across Tamil Nadu. The project envisaged training facilities, accommodation and research centres to support the professional development of personnel involved in urban administration and planning.
The TNIUS currently functions from Coimbatore. It provides training to municipal corporation commissioners, municipal commissioners, town panchayat executive officers and town-planning officials. Its areas of focus include urban planning, geographic information systems, solid waste management, safe street design and disaster management.
The previous government had proposed shifting the institute to a larger campus closer to Chennai, with funding reportedly earmarked through the 15th Finance Commission.
The cancellation places the proposed project at a review stage, although further details on whether the government intends to revive, modify or abandon the campus proposal have not been announced in the available report.
The decision is part of the TVK government’s wider review of certain tenders finalised towards the end of the previous administration. The implications for the project’s timeline and future implementation remain to be clarified.