The expansion of the Chennai district is expected to promote the speedy completion of civic infrastructure projects in the city. However, officials expect a few challenges too.
Officials said the improved coordination that is likely to emerge between line agencies and the Revenue Department as a result of the expansion of the district will help speed up work on civic projects.
Capital work of the Chennai Corporation in added areas, such as Sholinganallur0, Ambattur, Manali and Madhavaram, which is estimated to cost around ₹2,000 crore per year, will pick up pace, officers added.
At least 1.5 lakh patta transfer applications from Kancheepuram district and 1 lakh such applications from Tiruvallur district will now be processed by the Chennai District Administration.
At least 5% of such applications end up in disputes that have to be resolved by the District Revenue Officer concerned. With Thursday’s move, residents of the newly merged areas are likely to benefit as visiting the Chennai Collectorate will be easier for them.
Obtaining information on old birth and death records will become easier for residents since they can avoid the glitches in accessing this information from the Revenue Departments in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. At least 50,000 people are likely to benefit from the old age pension scheme of the Chennai Collectorate.
The move may have some negative consequences too, especially the steep rise in applications at the Chennai Collectorate for revenue-related services. This could lead to significant delays in processing these applications.
An official noted that the Chennai Collectorate also may not have enough personnel to deal with various issues in the extended district now that it has almost doubled in size.
Pros
The coordi nation between line agencies and Revenue Department officials for civic projects, such as roads, bus shelters, bridges, parks, public buildings, hospitals, and stormwater drains, is likely to improve
At least 2.5 lakh additional patta transfer applications per year from residents in the added areas will be processed by the Chennai Collectorate. It may be easier for residents to visit the Chennai Collectorate to resolve patta transfer disputes that constitute 5 % of the 2.5 lakh applications
Accessing information on old birth and death records in the added areas may become easier for residents
More people are likely to benefit from the old age pension scheme of the Chennai Collectorate
Residents in the added areas need not visit the Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur Collectorates to resolve disputes related to ration cards
Cons
•The number of applications for revenue-related services in the Chennai Collectorate is set to increase three-fold. The processing of applications may be delayed causing stagnation of files
•The Chennai District Collector might find it more difficult to focus on civic problems with the increase in the area of the district
