CM Chairs Review of Municipal Administration, Water Supply Projects Including Rs 1.5 Lakh Crore Urban Transformation Mission

PRESS RELEASE Review meeting on the activities of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, chaired by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay A review meeting on various schemes being implemented by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department was held today (8.6.2026) at the Secretariat, chaired by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay. At the meeting, the Chief Minister was briefed on the current status of Union Government schemes such as AMRUT, AMRUT 2.0, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), JJM 2.0 and SBM 2.0, along with schemes implemented with the assistance of international financial institutions. He was also briefed on the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) scheme introduced in April 2026, under which infrastructure facilities worth about Rs. 30,000 crore could potentially be implemented in Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister directed that all schemes implemented with Union Government financial assistance must be completed within stipulated deadlines, and that new projects under the Urban Challenge Fund must be prepared and implemented within the prescribed timeframe. The current status of the State Government's key flagship schemes - the Urban Development Scheme, Singara Chennai 2.0, and the Urban Road Development Scheme - was also reviewed. To support the plans prepared by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme, a City Infrastructure Development Plan will be prepared by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department. This plan will integrate key urban infrastructure sectors including water supply, underground drainage, stormwater drainage, transport, environment, public health and climate resilience, to ensure sustainable and integrated urban development, the Chief Minister directed. The Chief Minister directed officials to continue efforts to provide uninterrupted 24x7 water supply in all 25 municipal corporations, and to upgrade water infrastructure in 146 municipalities and 479 town panchayats to ensure at least 3 hours of daily water supply, to be achieved across all urban local bodies within five years. Chennai city is surrounded by three major waterways - the Adyar and Cooum rivers and the Buckingham Canal. In addition to the ongoing Adyar river restoration project, restoration works for the Cooum river and Buckingham Canal must also be undertaken. These projects will include diverting and preventing sewage mixing, preventing pollution, strengthening riverbanks, flood-control measures, ecological riverside development and biodiversity enhancement. A study on creating blue-green corridors through this should be undertaken and the project implemented immediately. Work to provide 100% water supply/sewerage connections must be carried out without delay in all municipal corporations. Adequate sewage treatment plants must be set up to completely prevent untreated sewage from mixing into water bodies. Treated wastewater should be reused for industrial, commercial, park maintenance and other non-potable purposes, thereby improving water resource management. By 2031, green infrastructure and open public spaces will be expanded in all urban local bodies. Steps must be taken to develop modern parks and recreational facilities in major cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli. Sponge Parks must be created for flood control and stormwater management. Biodiversity and ecological parks must be established in urban local bodies with a population exceeding 1 lakh. Over the next five years, 5 crore saplings will be planted in urban areas to ensure improvement in urban green cover, biodiversity, and climate resilience, the Chief Minister emphasised. Further, animal birth control centres must be established in all municipal corporations and municipalities by 2031. Smaller centres for town panchayats and regionally shared facilities serving nearby municipalities must also be set up. Deaths caused by stray dog bites must be completely eliminated, which will improve public health among urban residents, it was stated. The Chief Minister's Integrated Urban Transformation Mission (CMIUTM) 2026-2031 was also discussed. Aimed at integrated urban infrastructure development across all cities and town panchayats in Tamil Nadu, this scheme will cover water supply, underground drainage infrastructure, solid waste management, urban roads and transport facilities, urban green development, restoration and improvement of water bodies, social infrastructure, safety infrastructure with special emphasis on women and children, digital urban governance, and public health infrastructure. It is estimated that this scheme will require an investment of at least Rs. 1.50 lakh crore over five years. Funding for this scheme will be mobilised by integrating Union Government schemes, Tamil Nadu Government schemes, Municipal Bonds, State Finance Commission grants, Central Finance Commission grants, and international financial institutions, it was stated. The Chief Minister commended this proposed visionary plan and directed that it be implemented with transparency, accountability and effective monitoring. The Chief Minister further directed that integrated planning is essential to create world-class urban infrastructure across Tamil Nadu, to be completed within stipulated timeframes and made available for public use expeditiously. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Dr. Mu. Baikumar, IAS; Additional Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Thiru Kandeep Singh Bedi, IAS; Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Thiru M.A. Siddique, IAS; Managing Director, TUFIDCO, Thiru K. Vivekanandan, IAS; Managing Director, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Thiru T. Anand, IAS; Director of Municipal Administration, Thiru P. Madhusudhan Reddy, IAS; Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation, Dr. G.S. Sameeran, IAS; Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, Thiru Dinesh Ponraj Oliver, IAS; Director of Town Panchayats, Thiru M. Pradeep Kumar, IAS; Member-Secretary, Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust, Thiru Simranjeet Singh Kahlon, IAS; Managing Director, New Tirupur Area Development Corporation, Thiru Pa. Gajendran, IAS; and other senior government officials. Issued by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9