G. Dattatri, the first chief urban planner of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), died here on Wednesday. He was 82.
Mr. Dattatri played a key role in the preparation of the first and second master plans for Chennai. Apart from his passion for urban planning, he also had a deep commitment towards the environment. He was involved in several initiatives including SUSTAIN and Nizhal.
“He was a pioneer in bringing World Bank schemes to Chennai and played a role in the development of areas such as Arumbakkam, Mogappair and Villivakkam,” said S. Santhanam, member-chief urban planner, CMDA.
He started his career as a town planning officer at the Udagamandalam municipal office. He was a recipient of the United Nations Habitat award at Nairobi (Scroll of Honour). He was a United Nations Advisor at the Urban Development Authority, Colombo for four years. He was Associate Professor, at the School of Architecture and Planning, University of Madras and a visiting professor at Anna University till his demise. He is survived by three sons and a daughter
Keywords: CMDA, G. Dattatri, urban planning
The GOI , more so the TN Govt missed to capatilise on his vision and thoughts on how to plan a beautiful city, thanks to politicans who did not pay heeds to his suggestion. If only he was given the duty to convert his dream to reality, am sure chennai would not be suffering so much.
Man who had no air or ego, he wanted to do lot continued till he died. He converted useable articles from wastes. He lived very simple life and had a broad minded approach. Never pressured his children nor did he tell them to do any particular course, whereas he encourages his children to do what they felt like doing in their career and each of them are successful in their chosen field. Always ready to help people in their endeavors, lot of people from different walks of life would seek his advice and suggestion, he always encouraged and gave clear solutions.
We really miss him, he built his house with eco-friendly products in late 70's itself,when he was the 3rd person to move into the present home.
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