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| Size of Chennai city set to expand Sep 2, 09 |
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The size of Chennai city is set to expand manifold. Whether it will enlarge from its present extent of 176 sq.km. to become a mega city of 800 sq.km area or it will be a relatively smaller expansion to encompass about 420 sq.km area is a decision that the government of Tamil Nadu will soon take.
The committee, constituted to examine the proposal for delineating new city Corporations around Chennai city, has recommended two options to the State government and submitted the report on August 18.
The first option recommends a greater Chennai Corporation that will administer an area of 800 sq.km and is based on the study of other large city corporations such as Hyderabad and Bangalore which are spread over an area of about 650 and 700 sq.km respectively. This expanded Corporation will incorporate various municipalities and other local bodies within the Chennai Metropolitan Area (1189 sq.km).
The second option is to expand the present city to a size of 420 sq.km and in addition, create two Corporations with Avadi and Tambaram as headquarters.
In this proposal, the existing municipalities such as Ambattur and Alandur would be merged with the Chennai Corporation and Semancheri would be the southern limit and Thiruvottiyur and Kathivakkam the northern limit of the city. The Chennai-Avadi Corporation would cover about 150 sq.km extending up to Poonamallee.
The Chennai-Tambaram Corporation would cover about 200 sq.km extending up to Vandalur.
Both these options were not amongst the alternatives that were discussed at public consultation meetings held in 2008 and 2009, but have been arrived at as a result of the discussions, say a government source.
Goal
The purpose behind this restructuring, as stated by the government, is to create ‘higher order local bodies’ that will deliver better public services, generate more resources and facilitate private public partnerships to undertake new infrastructure projects.
The government also expects that this restructuring will optimise expenditure and improve administration.
SOURCE: THE HINDU DATED AUG 25, 2009 |
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