Second Master Plan

Chennai’s Second Master Plan envisions “a prime metropolis which will become more livable, economically vibrant, environmentally sustainable, and with better assets for future generations”. However, an examination of this vision from the perspective of the urban poor reveals that the plan does not address social and economic inequalities.

It was on a Saturday Morning that I ventured on a walk, along with a group of volunteers, through the fishing communities of Foreshore Estate and Srinivasapuram. The aim was to learn about the way land was being taken away from these communities in the name of development and environmental protection, and the absence of detailed land records places them in a particularly precarious position.