Chennai was a lowrise city for many decades. Urban growth and development has changed it to a highrise city, modifying the skyline. Landmarks such as Dasaprakash Hotel on Poonamallee High Road have given way to highrise residential luxury apartments. Even as urban planners are promoting highrises for various reasons, including ‘optimal utilisation of land,’ residents point to various challenges in such projects. A resident, who had bought a home in a highrise in Egattur on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, says she shifted to a lowrise building in Tiruporur last year.
“Our home in the highrise building was structurally stable. But the sewage treatment plant was maintained poorly. The developer let out sewage without treatment, polluting the Buckingham Canal. When residents protested, goons visited the premises to warn them,” said the resident, who did not wish to be named.
According to data from the CMDA, new applications for the development of highrise buildings have increased from 1999 owing to the IT Policy. But they were restricted to IT buildings along Rajiv Gandhi Salai and SEZs in areas such as Manapakkam and Vandalur. Commercial and residential development of multi-storeyed buildings were restricted to the old Chennai Corporation limits covering 172 sq. km. Around 400 multi-storeyed buildings were developed in Chennai before the Second Master Plan in 2008. The number of homes in highrises increased significantly in the past decade because of the provisions of the Second Master Plan. Urban planners say market conditions and government policies are expected to promote more such buildings in the future. At least 70 multi-storeyed buildings are developed every year in the metropolitan area.
CMDA former member-Chief Urban Planner S. Santhanam says that in highrises, 70% of the allotted space is vacant, which is useful for disaster management. “At the same times, lowrises are increasingly difficult to purchase due to high land cost,” he notes.
Former opposition leader in the Corporation Council Subash Chandra Bose says the civic amenities around many of the highrise buildings are inadequate.
Productivity dip
A senior CMDA official cites studies, which say the highrise boom has led to a dip in productivity. “The lack of adequate infrastructure in areas where IT highrises are concentrated has led to employees staying in more developed parts and hence, spending more time on the road,” says the official. Utilities, such as fire and police stations, and hospitals, should be created there, he adds. Urban planners say various aspects, including the high cost of construction and power consumption and environmental factors, need to be considered while developing highrises.
The new strategic regional plan for the Chennai Mega Region is expected to focus on specific locations for highrise development.
