None of the 12 cities from Tamil Nadu made it to the top 10 of the Centre’s first-ever Ease of Living Index report released on Monday.
However, Chennai was ranked number 2 among the cities having a population of over 4 million. Tiruchi topped in the health parameter, scoring 6.16 out of 6.25, while Erode was number 1 in terms of access to water supply with score of 3.58 out of 5 overall.
The Ease of Living Index is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to help cities assess their liveability vis-à-vis global and national benchmarks and encourage cities to move towards an ‘outcome-based’ approach to urban planning and management.
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It was decided in June 2017 to rank cities based on the liveability parameters. The implementation of the assessment commenced formally on January 19, 2018 covering 111 cities.
The assessment framework comprises four pillars namely Institutional, Social, Economic and Physical which are further broken down into 15 categories and 78 indicators, as per the report.
Chennai was ranked 14 overall with a score of 47.24. In terms of governance the city scored 11.69 out of maximum score of 25. In terms of identity and culture, the score was 2.28 out of 6.25. The city also scored just 0.12 in terms of housing and inclusiveness and 1.33 in terms of public open spaces out of maximum score of 5 each. “Chennai has been ranked second among major cities that have more than 4 million population. We have initiated measures to improve solid waste management,” said Chennai Corporation Commissioner D.Karthikeyan. Among the major cities with more than 4 million population, only Greater Mumbai is ahead of Chennai, he said.
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Bengaluru, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat and Hyderabad lag behind Chennai because of the city’s good score in governance, public open spaces, transportation and mobility, waste management and assured water supply. Chennai has been developing parks across the city in the past few years, he noted.
Reward for residents
N. Ravichandran, Commissioner, Tiruchi Corporation, said the high rank in health parameters is a reward for the residents who work in tandem with the public institutions in keeping the city clean and neat.
Medical practitioners in Tiruchi attributed the top ranking to the facilities at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital attached to the K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College, which received a noticeable face-lift after former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was elected to the State Assembly from Srirangam constituency in 2011.
Erode Corporation Commissioner M. Seeni Ajmal Khan said projects worth over ₹ 1,500 crore would be implemented under the smart city mission to make it as a vibrant and green city.
Thoothukudi, ranked 44 in the ease of living index, has done better than most cities such as Bengaluru (which ranks 58), Corporation Commissioner Alby John Varghese said.
He also said that the coastal town could improve in areas like identity and cCulture in which it has been ranked 80. “We are improving tourism activities in Thoothukudi by introducing water sports, renovation of Muthu Nagar Beach and cleaning the Buckle Canal.”
Karumuttu T Kannan, prominent industrialist and Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple fit person, wondered why Madurai’s marks under the ‘Identity and Culture’ region is 2.87 out of a potential 6.25. “We have a rich heritage and culture and must ensure that it grows. The city could do better in education and public open spaces,” he added.
Sources in Coimbatore Corporation said the city has ranked better than Tiruchi in terms of assured water supply and waste management.
( With inputs from Sanjay Vijayakumar, C. Jaisankar, Aloysius Xavier Lopez, S.P. Saravanan, Hariprasad A R, Sanjana Ganesh and Karthik Madhavan )