Planners are opposing the move by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to recruit 54 urban planners to complete the detailed development plan (DDP) for five peri-urban areas on a temporary basis, stating that it will hamper the continuity in the planning process.

Addressing the Green Building Concept, a seminar organised by the Department of Planning, the School of Architecture and Planning at the Anna University here on Friday, former president of the Institute of Town Planning India and dean of MEASI Academy of architecture Chennai, Dr A Sachidananthan, said that there was a need for a permanent solution to the staff crunch.

He said that the CMDA required well-trained personnel so that there would be accountability as well as continuity in the planning process. Interestingly, the post is approved only by the authority and is yet to get the government stamp.

Surprisingly, planners alleged that the delay in many CMDA projects was being attributed to diversion of excess staff to some of the ‘plum’ units. For instance, in the Area Plans Unit, the CMDA has two chief planners, including one who has been diverted from another unit, besides an additional deputy planner, against the prescribed strength sanctioned by the authority.

In the Enforcement Section, two posts are lying vacant and it is believed that two officials have been diverted to other units.

Surprisingly, in the Review Team and Appeal Unit, where, as per the sanctioned strength only a deputy planner should be there, it is believed that a senior planner has been diverted to the unit above him.

“There is a need to review the posts sanctioned as per Authority Resolution 36/2011 dated Februray 14, 2011. And it is the right time that the excess staff can be redeployed to DTCP which is functioning with only 42 per cent staff,” planners said.

Interestingly, planners also questioned the continuance of planners in the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) unit, as the land acquisition for the project had already been completed.

“What is the need to have an additional eight staff in the metro rail unit and what work would they do when CMRL as an entity is carrying on all the work. The government needs to rethink on the issue,” the planners added.

Interestingly, there has been a separate rail transport division and road transport division created in the CMDA. But these units exist only on paper. These could be utilised to coordinate with CMRL.

Earlier, Dr Abdul Razak Mohammed, professor and head, department of planning, SAP, Anna University, said that the idea of the Green Building Concept was to generate awareness among students. This is  about the challenges of town planning towards making green cities and to create a platform for town planning professionals, researchers and students to discuss about issues, practices, planning and design of green cities. Vice-Chancellor of Anna University P Kaliraj and H Malleshappa, director of Department of Environment, also spoke on the occasion.