CII's Madurai vision document outlines reimagining city in 2035
Madurai: Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) Pudhu Madur.ai vision document for Madurai has outlined a 2035 roadmap for reimagining the city as a dual hub of heritage and modernity.
Tamil Nadu IT and digital services minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan launched the document on Tuesday.
Lauding the document as "comprehensive and thought-provoking," PTR said it effectively articulates the socio-economic aspirations of southern Tamil Nadu and offers practical suggestions for aligning govt action with regional needs. "This document combines both grand ambition and granular detail. It tackles everything from heritage and tourism to IT and industrial corridors," he said.
PTR candidly reflected on Madurai's historic stature and its relatively slow growth in recent decades. "In Roman times, the Pandya kingdom was a trade surplus with Europe. But today, cities like Coimbatore and Erode have outpaced Madurai," he said. The reason, he noted, was not a lack of potential but a more modest approach to projecting achievements.
Citing examples from his own constituency, PTR criticised past planning failures under the Smart Cities Mission, especially the granite paving around the Meenakshi temple.
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"It's uneven, it overheats, and blocks drainage," he said, stressing the need for informed urban design rooted in local context.
He also spoke about long-delayed govt projects. "The plan to shift Madurai Central Prison took four years just to identify land. Execution timelines are glacial," he said, underlining the urgency for reforms in administrative efficiency.
Pudhu Madur.ai, the CII vision document, proposes a dual-city model — preserving the historic urban core while building a new growth hub 30-60km away. It envisions walkable townships, climate-smart industrial corridors, and citizen-centric governance. The aim is to create a city where tradition and technology coexist.
Calling for collaboration, PTR said, "Documents like this, when driven by industry and civil society, are far more valuable than bureaucratic plans. The govt must work with associations like CII to make them a reality."
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