Tamil Nadu plans 25-year infrastructure roadmap for 16 urban local bodies; invites development plans

The exercise is being undertaken under the World Bank-funded Tamil Nadu Climate Resilient Urban Development Project. The Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) has issued requests for proposals in five packages to select consultants for preparing the plans.

The initiative covers the municipal corporations of Chennai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Thoothukudi, Sivakasi, Avadi, Tambaram, Cuddalore, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, Salem and Hosur, besides Udhagamandalam Special Grade Municipality. It forms part of the Chief Minister’s Integrated Urban Development Mission (CMIUDM) 2026–2031.

The proposed plans will assess existing infrastructure and identify gaps in essential civic services, including drinking water supply, sewerage, stormwater drainage, solid waste management, roads, pedestrian facilities, parks, waterbodies, public health facilities, schools, markets and digital municipal services.

Consultants will undertake field inspections, GIS-based mapping and stakeholder consultations to evaluate the coverage, capacity and condition of existing infrastructure. Climate risks and disaster-prone locations will also be assessed to help cities prepare for extreme weather events.

An important component of the exercise will be forecasting population growth and civic service requirements over five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. Each plan will include a rolling five-year capital investment roadmap, with projects classified into immediate, short-, medium- and long-term priorities.

The financial assessment will examine the revenue performance of urban local bodies over the previous five years and identify ways to strengthen their financial capacity.

The initiative is aimed at moving beyond short-term infrastructure interventions towards a planned, long-term approach to urban development, ensuring that Tamil Nadu's cities are better equipped to manage population growth, expanding economic activity and climate-related challenges.