What it is
The CMDA Master Plan is the plan the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) publishes for the Chennai Metropolitan Area, setting out the planned land use for the area. Its land use maps are the plan’s zoning sheets: each sheet covers part of the area and shows the planned zones, such as residential, commercial, industrial or water body, with a legend naming the zone categories on that sheet. The land use maps CMDA publishes today are drawn from its Second Master Plan, which runs to 2026. The plan changes by variations, which are notified in the gazette, so a sheet can predate a later change to the zone it shows.
Why it matters when you buy
Buyers in the Chennai Metropolitan Area often want to see which planned zone a plot falls in before they pay a deposit, because the zone says what the plan intends for that area. The land use map shows the planned zone for the area it covers. It does not tell you what may be built on a particular plot, or whether any approval exists for it.
Where you find it
CMDA publishes the land use maps on its website, cmdachennai.gov.in, one sheet at a time. View Patta fetches a sheet from CMDA when you order it and delivers it as a PDF; you choose the sheet by local body type, local body name and village name, as CMDA lists them.
What it does not prove
The master plan and its land use maps show planned zones for an area. They are not a land use certificate for a plot, they do not establish ownership, and they are not a planning or building approval. CMDA says its published content should not be construed as a statement of law. Zoning for a specific plot is confirmed only by CMDA, and a sheet may predate later variations, so check with CMDA for the current zoning.