CHENNAI Corporation faces tough days ahead

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on April 18, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/corporation-faces-tough-days-ahead/266457.html

CHENNAI: Ever since the TN Assembly Election was announced in early March, all developmental and administrative works of the Chennai Corporation have came to a standstill. As the status of the model code of conduct has to remain till May 13, ‘restarting’ all the work from the ‘paused’ state, would not be an easy task for the city’s mayor M Subramanian and commissioner D Karthikeyan.

Since February, the revenue officials have been over-burdened tax collection, responsibilities that came from the Census and assembly elections. Now, the model code of conduct has also put spanner on the civic body’s ongoing projects in infrastructure development, including the construction of bridges, which was already progressing at a snail’s pace.

Saddled with incomplete civic projects and just six months away from the local body elections, the Chennai Corporation council is now in a bigger mess. Since the council is in its final months before the poll, no meaningful or major civic work will be initiated till the end of the year. The ‘halt of work’ would affect the prospects of the sitting councillors, who would be seeking their second term from the voters in October.

Besides, the civic body’s future and its proposed city expansion plans now hang in balance - it’s tied to the outcome of the Assembly polls. “As per the schedule, the local bodies in the state would go to polls by October, thus inviting the model code of conduct by September once again,” says Saidai P Ravi, opposition floor leader in the Corporation. “The present council will have only three months (after May) to think about fulfilling the budget promises and other civic amenities in the city.”