Tamil Nadu

Maps of 5 proposed Corporations displayed

TAMBARAM: For the officials and planners of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), the first public consultation meet held in Tambaram on Saturday on the proposed creation of a South Chennai Corporation was the culmination of a strenuous process spread over several months.

In the presentation made, details of the existing Chennai Corporation and creation of two more were presented with facts and projections for the next two decades.

Within the administrative unit of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) there were 16 municipalities, 20 town panchayats and 214 village panchayats in 10 panchayat unions under seven taluks in the two districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur in addition to the existing Corporation.

The population in this region was 78.9 lakh in 2006 and expected to increase to 1.25 crore by 2026.

Dwelling on the condition of basic infrastructure, the presentation said that the coverage of drains in the city was better than other local bodies within the CMA.

Solid waste management within the city was satisfactory, while in other local bodies adjoining it, inadequate.

The roads in Chennai were better but the adjoining areas lacked good roads, including streetlights.

Residents were informed that the Tamil Nadu government constituted a high-level committee to examine the feasibility of creating one or more corporations around Chennai.

The objectives were to create “higher order local bodies” that would be better equipped to plan, improve and provide basic infrastructure and to optimise expenditure on establishing and strengthening administrative and technical capacity.

Maps of five proposed Corporations were also displayed at the meeting hall.

The first was the existing Chennai Corporation along with areas along IT Corridor, Alandur, Kunrathur and Tambaram areas in Tambaram Corporation and Avadi, Ambattur and Tiruvotriyur in Ambattur Corporation.

The second alternative was the existing Corporation, IT Corridor, Alandur and Tambaram areas in Tambaram Corporation and Ambattur Corporation with the same areas as mentioned above.

The third alternative was Chennai Corporation with Alandur, Kottivakkam to Neelankarai, Nandambakkam and Meenambakkam areas, IT Corridor, Tambaram and Kunrathur in Tambaram Corporation and the same areas in Ambattur Corporation.

The fourth plan was Chennai Corporation, IT Corridor, Alandur and Tambaram in Tambaram Corporation and Ambattur Corporation (areas remain unchanged).

The final alternative plan was the Chennai City Corporation with IT Corridor, Alandur, Nandambakkam and Meenambakkam, Tambaram, Pallavaram and Kunrathur areas and Ambattur Corporation.

The advantages and disadvantages of each alternative plan was also spelt out during the presentation.

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