The three major waterways of Chennai — the Cooum River, Adyar River, and Buckingham Canal — have received a fresh lease of life as the Union government has extended funding support to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's ambitious restoration scheme. The Centre has granted in-principle approval for Rs 7,500 crore to Tamil Nadu under the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) in the first phase. These funds will be utilised for the Chief Minister's Integrated Urban Transformation Mission (CMIUTM), which was announced by the chief minister on Monday.
Integrated Urban Transformation Mission
Under the CMIUTM, the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department has planned to restore the three major waterways along with integrated infrastructure upliftment for the 25 corporations across the state. An MAWS official confirmed that the state has the potential to secure up to Rs 30,000 crore under the Centre's UCF. In the first phase, the Union government has agreed to provide Rs 7,500 crore.
“We will be submitting specific detailed project reports for key projects under the CMIUTM to secure the funds starting from this year,” the official said. Among the key development plans proposed is the restoration of the Cooum River, Adyar River, and Buckingham Canal. The chief minister has instructed officials to prioritise these three water bodies on a war footing and ensure visible changes within five years.
Uniform Development Across Corporations
What sets the CMIUTM apart from other schemes is that every project proposed will be common to all corporations. So far, local bodies have been undertaking projects like road relaying, storm water drain construction, and special projects such as multi-level parking and pedestrian plazas in a piecemeal manner. The CMIUTM will implement uniform projects for all corporations with consistent project design, timeline, and funding. This approach aims to ensure even development across all districts, leaving no district behind.
Under this mission, modern parks and recreational facilities will be developed in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchirappalli. Additionally, sponge parks for flood prevention and rainwater management will be created within corporation parks. All local bodies have been instructed to begin preparing localised detailed project reports from this week to expedite the process.
Funding and Future Plans
The state government has outlined a total fund requirement of Rs 1.5 lakh crore to execute all projects under the CMIUTM. Apart from the Rs 30,000 crore demand from the Centre, the state will explore other funding avenues such as municipal bonds, state grants, and foreign bank funding to meet this requirement.
