Three years of AIADMK-led Chennai Corporation Council

On Saturday, the AIADMK-led Chennai Corporation Council completes three years of administration.

In that time, the AIADMK-led Council successfully managed to bridge the infrastructure gap in many parts of the expanded city. The number of development projects, welfare schemes and reforms in local administration has increased.

Civic projects on roads, LED streetlights, footpaths, parks, stormwater drains and primary health centres have been implemented. Following a revamp of the administrative set-up in January 2014, the civic body is expected to create civic infrastructure to the tune of Rs. 2,170 during 2014-2015.

However, the rising frequency of development projects has started hampering normal activity in residential and commercial neighbourhoods. As many as 27,431 civic development works have been implemented in the last three years. Over 5,900 works are under way.

The financial assistance of Rs. 432 crore under TUFIDCO, to be cleared by the Council on Saturday, is expected to speed up the delayed works in many neighbourhoods. After the clearance, makeover for the remaining stretches of bad roads in the city will gain momentum this financial year. Work on more than 5,000 roads of the 10,000 roads proposed to be re-laid by the civic body in February are yet to be taken up, causing hardship to motorists.

Senior officials of the civic body said efforts are under way to cope with challenges to innovative schemes posed by other infrastructure projects such as the Metro Rail. Detailed project reports for most of the schemes, including the Rs. 4,000-crore stromwater drain project for added areas, flyovers, pedestrian plazas and widening of roads, have been completed. The civic body is also expected to commence most of the schemes announced in the previous budget, shortly.