Chennai city expansion proposal hangs in balance

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on June 7, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/chennai-city-expansion-proposal-hangs-in-balance/281736.html

CHENNAI: With the Governor’s customary address in the state Assembly after change of guard failed to mention anything about the much-awaited city expansion, the proposed extension of the Chennai Corporation by annexing 42 adjacent local bodies now hangs in balance.

Though the official sources in the Ripon Building maintaining that the process ‘is progressing on a positive track,’ suspicion has been raised over its implementation, if at all, due to the availability of lesser time (about three months only) as local body election is slated for October this year and notification has to be announced by August-end.

In December 2009, the state government had issued a notification to annex 42 local bodies including nine municipalities, eight town panchayats and 25 village panchayats to expand the city limit from the existing 174sq km to 426sq km.

The notification also gave six months time to a team of officials in the Chennai Corporation to submit its report on expansion to the government. Under the proposal, Chennai Corporation will be expanded to 426 Sqkm, from Idayanchavadi village panchayat in the north to Uthandi village panchayat in the southern side to make it a real metro city. Subsequently, the existing 155 wards in the city Corporation have been changed to 200 wards to accommodate to-be annexed parts.

As per the government order, a village panchayat namely Idayanchavadi in Minjur limit would be the city Corporation’s entry point in northern side, Uthandi village panchayat on East Coast Road would be its boundary on southern side.
Municipalities like Kathivakkam, Thiruvottiyur and Manali (in north) Madhavaram, Ambattur, Maduravoyal and Valsaravakkam (in west), and Alandur and Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam in south were included in city limit.

Town panchayats such as Chinna Sekkadu, Puzhal, Porur, Nandambakkam, Meenambakkam, Perungudi, Pallikaranai and Chozhinganallur, and 25 village panchayats such as Idayanchavadi, Sadayankuppam, Kadapakkam, Theeyambakkam, Mathur, Vadaperumbakkam, Surapet, Kadirvedu, Puthagaram, Nolambur, Kaarambakkam, Nerkundram, Ramapuram, Mugalivakkam, among others were included in the Chennai Corporation.

In April 2010, a team of officials from the Corporation mandated to complete the task of expansion had submitted their preliminary report with the state government and assured the final report by July that year. However, the proposal has hit a roadblock then due to the impending state Assembly elections as many ruling party councillors across the to-be merged local bodies ‘expressed unhappiness’ over losing their landmark wards (seats) to the delimitation exercise.

Top political circles that time apprehended that if the names of those wards were revealed (announced) to complete the expansion process, it could impact the morale of the sitting councillors (of those seats) and it could reflect in the Assembly elections. However, official sources said that the process could be completed if the new state government goes ahead with the proposal and said that ‘we are not running out of time to implement it.’

It may be noted that the blue print for each wards had been already completed and even the proposal was presented in the Council meet during December last. However, the resolution had been postponed after meeting stiff resistance from councillors citing ‘lack of clarity over size of each wards’.