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Corporation launches website in Tamil

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation on Thursday launched its website in Tamil as part of its efforts to promote the language.

Launching the website at a function here, Mayor M. Subramanian said, “The Corporation's Tamil website will be of help to a large number of residents of Chennai.”

He said that it would be another contribution to the World Classical Tamil Conference to be held in Coimbatore from June 23-27.

The residents would be able to download birth and death certificates free of cost from the website through any web-enabled system.

The website would help delivery of services such as online building plan permission, trade licence, payment of property tax, booking of corporation community hall, booking of freezer box, registration of public grievances and free download of forms, the Mayor said.

Application for assessment of property tax can also be submitted online. The website would have details of all the departments of the Chennai Corporation.

The website of the civic body in English was launched in 2003. A total of 9,78,587 people have made use of the website for delivery of services and information. Almost 5.48 lakh birth certificates and 1.79 lakh death certificates have been downloaded so far.

Over 8,400 online applications for building plan permission have been received by the civic body.

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Census operations launched

CHENNAI: Census operations commenced in the Chennai Corporation limits on Tuesday with 7,763 enumerators starting the house listing and housing census work in all the 10 zones.

Each enumerator would have to cover 150 census houses by July 15, which roughly works out to 11,64,450 census houses.

Civic body officials explained that a census house was not just one individual residence but door numbers. For instance, apartment complexes with one door number would be counted as one census house.

Maps have been provided by the Census Directorate to the enumerators, who are local body officials, State and Central government employees and teachers, including those from aided schools, the officials said.

The enumerators would also be collecting details for the National Population Register. The NPR provides an option for the citizen to record the name in a manner he/she desires.

Director of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu, S. Gopalakrishnan requested all residents to provide details required by the enumerators for filling up the Census 2011 and NPR schedules.

Check ID cards

“Please do not permit enumerators without checking their ID cards. The acknowledgement card [issued by the enumerators] should be preserved for future use,” he said.

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Award for Lakhoni

CHENNAI: Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni has been selected for the Prime Minister's award for Excellence in Governance for 2008-09. He gets the award for the project ‘Cervical Cancer Screening evolving a new methodology – a life saving initiative of Chennai Corporation'.

The award would be presented on Civil Services Day on April 21, a release from Press Information Bureau said.

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Exhibition on school education begins

CHENNAI: A two-day exhibition on school education, being organised by the Chennai Corporation, began on Monday at the Corporation Higher Secondary School, Saidapet.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mayor M.Subramanian said “The new admissions to Corporation schools started on April 1 and the response has been encouraging. Around 915 students have been admitted to the schools.”

A total of 743 students have been admitted to the I Standard and 172 students have been admitted to Standard VI on the first day of admissions, he said.

The Chennai Corporation Schools would be renamed on Thursday as Chennai Schools. He distributed admission cards to 80 students, including those who have dropped out of school sometime ago. The English medium schools of the Corporation had enrolled around 800 students last year, said Mr. Subramanian.

Parents should disseminate information about the education schemes of the Corporation for the benefit of other students in their neighbourhood, he added.

The results of Corporation schools have been better than other schools because of the welfare measures, he said.

The 29 stalls at the exhibition cover the measures initiated by the civic body for improving school education. It includes measures such as launch of special schools for students with disability, English education, scholarships, free shoes bags and school uniforms, computer training, community colleges and night shelters.

The exhibition has been organised to increase awareness of the initiatives taken by the Corporation and help more students belonging to the weaker sections gain access to better education, said Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni. Deputy Commissioner Education M.Balaji participated.

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Tax collection target crossed

CHENNAI: Chennai Corporation collected a record Rs.490 crore property tax and professional tax in the fiscal that ended on Wednesday. In the process, it crossed its target of Rs.350 crore property tax and Rs.101 crore in professional tax.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said “Property tax collections were nearly Rs.364 crore and professional tax Rs.126 crore. We have exceeded our budget target. We estimated that our collections would touch Rs.450 crore. We did not expect such an increase in professional tax figures.”

In 2007 the amount of property tax collected was Rs.220 crore and professional tax Rs.60 crore.

“In three years we have increased this by Rs.210 crore without any changes in rates of the taxes,” he added.

Senior Corporation officials said that to enhance the professional tax base a total of 82,000 notices had been sent to commercial establishments and 10 lakh individual notices. “We asked them to pay professional taxes and register themselves with the civic body. Through this 1,842 companies and individuals have registered with us,” an official said.

Through the Integrated Voice Response Services, which was launched recently for property tax assessees Rs.1.5 lakh was collected, while the amount received through online payment was Rs.4 crore.

In 2008-09 Rs.323 crore was collected as property tax.

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Perambur flyover, a relief for motorists

CHENNAI: The Perambur flyover has come as a big relief for thousands of motorists in north Chennai. A day after its inauguration, on Monday, there was no sign of the traffic congestion in the area.

G. Annadurai, a resident of Moolakothalam, said that the completion of the flyover marked the fulfilment of a long-time demand of the residents of north Chennai. Many of them had lost hope about the flyover as the project was stalled for many years.

In the absence of the flyover, the residents, particularly motorists, faced severe hardship negotiating the traffic at the level-crossing facilities and subways that were narrow and clogged.

Even as people started using the flyover, which links several localities including, Kolathur, Sembium, Peravallur, Periyar Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Moolakadai, Jamalia and Ayanavaram, a section of the motorists are confused about the route to be taken to reach the various destinations.

J. Balaji, a resident of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, who works in a public sector bank in Esplanade, found the route easier while proceeding from Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, but was confused on which route to take in the return direction. He was under the impression that while returning home to Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, he could proceed only through the Perambur subway from the Jamalia side and not use the flyover.

Motorists like him emphasised the need for the Chennai Corporation to install more display boards to guide the users. Mr.Balaji said the civic body should complete the demolition of a structure where an eatery functions on the Paper Mills Road-Tank Bund Road junction as the customers park their vehicles haphazardly posing problems to motorists.

As per the traffic plan for the new flyover, drawn up by the project consultant of Chennai Corporation, vehicles coming from Jamalia on Perambur High Road and bound for Ayanavaram and Integral Coach Factory have to use the newly formed link road on the southern side of the flyover. Vehicles coming from Jamalia and bound for Madhavaram High Road have to use the flyover and take the newly formed link road at Tank Bund Road and a left in to Perambur High Road.

Vehicles bound for Siruvallur Road and Paper Mills Road have to take a right turn on the newly formed Link Road on Tank Bund Road.

Vehicles coming from Siruvallur Road and bound for Jamalia have to go through Paper Mills Road, take a right turn in to Tank Bund Road and a left turn in to the newly formed Link Road and again a left turn in to Perambur High Road to take the flyover at Madhavaram High Road.

Vehicles from Madhavaram High Road bound for Jamalia and Ayanavaram have to take a ‘U' turn at the end of Madhavaram High Road to take the flyover.

Vehicles from Ayanavaram bound for Jamalia have to go under the flyover.

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Perambur flyover to be named after Maran

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi inaugurated the Perambur flyover on Sunday and announced it would be named after former Union Minister Murasoli Maran.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mr. Karunanidhi said: “Political parties should cooperate with one another and give up animosity, when there is a need for welfare measures for the people.”

He observed that political parties in many States did not nurture animosity when there was a need to take development initiatives. Assuring the people that the government would take measures to construct more bridges in north Chennai, he said that the newly inaugurated flyover would serve as a bridge that would link Tamils. Commending Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the function, he said: “I consider him as the Minister who assists me.”

The Rs.51-crore flyover has been constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission with the Centre's grant of 35 per cent of the project cost. The State government has provided 15 per cent of the project cost as an interest-free loan and the rest has been borne by the Corporation of Chennai, he said.

Mr. Stalin said that had other political parties willed, the flyover could have been completed a few years ago.

The flyover would serve as a crucial link according to Niranjan Mardi, Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.

This year, eight locations in north Chennai would have new facilities, said Mayor M. Subramanian.

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi inaugurated the Perambur flyover on Sunday and announced it would be named after former Union Minister Murasoli Maran.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mr. Karunanidhi said: “Political parties should cooperate with one another and give up animosity, when there is a need for welfare measures for the people.”

He observed that political parties in many States did not nurture animosity when there was a need to take development initiatives. Assuring the people that the government would take measures to construct more bridges in north Chennai, he said that the newly inaugurated flyover would serve as a bridge that would link Tamils. Commending Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the function, he said: “I consider him as the Minister who assists me.”

The Rs.51-crore flyover has been constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission with the Centre's grant of 35 per cent of the project cost. The State government has provided 15 per cent of the project cost as an interest-free loan and the rest has been borne by the Corporation of Chennai, he said.

Mr. Stalin said that had other political parties willed, the flyover could have been completed a few years ago.

The flyover would serve as a crucial link according to Niranjan Mardi, Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.

This year, eight locations in north Chennai would have new facilities, said Mayor M. Subramanian.

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Corporation pursues goal of better delivery in face of heavy odds

CHENNAI: With the inauguration of the Perambur flyover, the seventh major facility in over three years to ensure smoother flow of traffic, the pursuit of better delivery of services by the Chennai Corporation continues despite challenges.

Even as a number of residents draw attention to noteworthy works of the civic body ranging from the Marina beach beautification to bridges and roads, most of them stress the need for smoother flow of traffic and to further develop the strength of the civic body in its online initiatives taken in the past three years.

“The Corporation has constructed many bridges in the past few years and has contributed to reduction of traffic congestion to an extent. Road widening in many places has helped residents. Yet traffic continues to be a major problem,” said S.Vasudevan, a resident of R.A.Puram.

The recent computerisation drive of the civic body has been one of the best citizen-friendly measures, he added.

“Beautification of Marina beach and more parks by the corporation has given great enthusiasm to our children,” said R.B.Saravanan, a resident of Nungambakkam.

Kolathur resident K.Suresh Kumar: “The initiatives such as online building approval of the corporation and IVRS for payment of property tax have created enormous enthusiasm. But more awareness has to be created.”

According to an official, a total of Rs.1.1 lakh has been collected as tax in the past few weeks using the IVRS.

This has simplified the procedure for payment of taxes to the civic body, said the official.

Over 2 lakh birth and death certificates have been downloaded by residents using the services of the online initiative of the corporation. Similarly, the 300 handheld devices for tax collection have been procured recently for simplifying the collection of taxes and facilitating automation, the official added. More provision for downloading the property tax receipt has been done during the period.

However, Mayor M.Subramanian said the initiatives of the Chennai Corporation towards empowerment of persons with disabilities, women and the weaker sections in the past few years were some of the significant efforts in over three years.

The civic body received the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2009, for its work in the creation of barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities from President Prathiba Patil.

Beautifying the city with more parks, the initiation of the work on a massive storm water drain project at a cost of Rs.1,448 crore and retaining the glory of historically significant structures such as Victoria Public Hall, yoga in parks and increasing the number of beneficiaries for maternity assistance in Corporation Hospitals give us a sense of satisfaction, he said.

Over 1,600 children with disabilities study in the civic body's schools.

The Corporation also has tie-ups with NGOs to provide resource persons to teach children with moderate to severe disabilities.

He said that all newly constructed buildings of the civic body had ramps to provide barrier-free access.

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Many more welfare schemes in Chennai Corporation budget

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation Budget for 2010-2011 includes a large number of welfare schemes in the health and education sectors. However, there is no change in the tax rates. Chairperson of the civic body's Committee on Taxation and Finance Radha Sambandan presented the Budget on Monday.

Addressing the Council, Mayor M.Subramanian said Rs.101.87 crore would be spent on improvement and maintenance of interior roads and there were proposals to rename all Corporation schools as Chennai School and construct a 200-bed Communicable Diseases Hospital in south Chennai.

The budget document said Rs.632.50 crore was to be allotted towards capital works in 2010-11, nearly 20 per cent more than last year. The total revenue was estimated to be Rs.1,787.90 crore and the total expenditure, Rs.1,789.03 crore.

Efforts would be taken to increase property tax collection with the help of data obtained from the TNEB, he said

The collection of property tax in the current fiscal is likely to be Rs.375 crore as against the previous year's collection of Rs.320 crore.

The estimated property tax collection for 2010-11 is Rs.380 crore and profession tax, Rs.150 crore. An increase of financial powers of ward committee would be recommended, he added.

For the World Classical Tamil Conference, the Corporation would send a ‘float' depicting its activities and services to promote Tamil.

A total of 50 main roads would be named after Tamil scholars. As part of the Vaayil Thorum Valluvam scheme, around 3,500 office buildings of the civic body would have inscriptions of Thirukkural.

The website of the Chennai Corporation would be launched in Tamil also.

Efforts would be taken to ensure prominence for Tamil words on signboards of shops, said Mr.Subramanian.

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Perambur flyover to be opened on March 28

CHENNAI: The Perambur flyover will be inaugurated at 5 p.m. on March 28 by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Briefing reporters after inspecting the flyover, Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin said that residents of several areas, including Perambur, Ayanavaram, Periyar Nagar, Purasawalkam, Sembium, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and Kolathur, would benefit from the flyover.

He said that a total of 25,000 vehicles would use the flyover, which had three arms.

Two parks were being created near the flyover at a cost of Rs.70 lakh. A total of 150 streetlights and two high-mast lamps have been installed on the flyover and service lanes at a cost of Rs.87 lakh.

Mr.Stalin expressed happiness over the completion of the project within 21 months by the Chennai Corporation.

Later, he also inspected the Victoria Public Hall, which is situated adjacent to the Ripon Building. He said that the hall, which is being presently renovated, would be ready in 18 months.

The ground floor would have a sound and light show and the first floor an auditorium, he added.

Mayor M. Subramanian, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Secretary Niranjan Mardi and Chennai Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni were present during the inspections.

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IVRS for property tax enquiry launched

CHENNAI: An integrated voice response system (IVRS) for property tax enquiry and payment was launched by Chennai Corporation on Tuesday. The assessees can now dial 1913 and using credit cards pay their property tax.

Giving details of the IVRS, Mayor M. Subramanian said that the Zone number, Division (Ward) number, bill number and sub number (apartments in a complex and divided properties have sub numbers) would have to be fed into the system. Following this, the system would give details of the total amount to be paid.

After this, the IVRS would ask for the credit card number, validate the card and collect the amount. Consumers would also get a voice response that the amount has been paid. The time taken for this depends on the transaction and phone network, he explained. Within a week the receipt would be posted to the assessee.

Mr.Subramanian also handed over 300 handheld machines for use by the Corporation’s tax collectors. He urged the tax collectors to interact with the public in a proper manner. “Be polite to them. If you ask, people will pay taxes,” he said.

The Mayor said that over the past three years there had been a considerable increase in property tax collected by the civic body. This was done without increasing property rates, he added. In 2006-07 a total of Rs.231.94 crore was collected and in 2008-09 it was Rs.323.80 crore. The target this fiscal is Rs.350 crore and already Rs.301 crore had been collected.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said there was a provision in the handheld devices, purchased at a cost of Rs.94 lakh, to take print outs of the transactions instantly. The machines were connected to the Corporation server and would give details of the arrears and even cheques that had dishonoured, he explained.

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A lab technician collecting blood sample at the launch of the Chennai Corporation facility in Pulian

CHENNAI: To popularise the Chennai Corporation helpline, 1913, among those living in slums, the civic body will paste stickers with the number and details of services that could be accessed, at the entrances of slums, Mayor M.Subramanian said on Thursday.

He was speaking after launching a facility under which blood samples would be collected by the Corporation from the doorstep of residents free of cost.

Those advised by doctors to get their blood tested could use this facility by calling the helpline. The helpline could also be used to lodge complaints such as mosquito menace, non-functioning of lights and road cuts. “The stickers would have pictorial representations so that slum-dwellers could easily understand and use the 1913 service,” Mr.Subramanian said. The State government had also announced that a similar blood collection scheme would be launched.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said that 10 lab technicians had been appointed for collecting blood samples.

Residents unable to go to laboratories for tests, including diabetes tests on empty stomach, could call 1913 and place request for lab technicians to be sent to their homes.

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Two pet clinics of Corporation opened

CHENNAI: Two pet clinics set up by the Chennai Corporation for the treatment and counselling of pet animals were opened on Thursday.

Inaugurating the facility in Nungambakkam, Mayor M. Subramanian said while the clinic for south Chennai was on School Road, Nungambakkam, the other facility on Pallavan Salai, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar would treat animals brought from north Chennai. Pet animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, doves and hens, would be provided free treatment and vaccination in these facilities.

The clinics established at a total cost of Rs.10 lakh, including the equipment, would also operate as a licensing and rehabilitation centre. Residents can also check about adulteration of milk and quality of meat at the centres.

He said there are about two lakh animals in the city, including those bred at home. Earlier, carcasses were dumped in dustbins or thrown into waterways, polluting the environment.

As a prevention measure, Corporation has allotted free burial space at the Mylapore and Moolakothalam crematoria for pets.

In the last three years, the civic body sterilised nearly 70,000 street dogs with the help of three non-governmental organisations. The Corporation also caught 3,948 stray cattle and collected Rs.58.79 lakh fine from the owners during the same period, Mr.Subramanian said.

The pet clinics would issue licence to pet dogs. The fee would be Rs.16.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni, Deputy Commissioner (Health) B. Jothi Nirmala and opposition floor leader Saidai Ravi participated in the function.

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Hand-held machines to be procured

CHENNAI: In a bid to automate door-to-door collection of property tax, the Chennai Corporation has initiated the process of procuring 285 hand-held Point of Sale (PoS) machines.

Similar to those used to issue bus tickets, the PoS machines will be distributed to all 276 officials engaged in door-to-door collection of the tax. The machines will also be available at all its 10 zonal offices.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni told The Hindu that field trials were under way in various wards with the five machines supplied by Bharti Airtel, the firm entrusted with the automation of the tax collection.

Listing the benefits of using the hand-held machines, he said that the data pertaining to properties and tax details could be accessed by the tax collectors easily. The hand-held machines would be GPRS-enabled and linked to the main server of civic body at Ripon Building. For senior officials, the machines would help in monitoring the work of the tax collectors on a real time basis.

Mr. Lakhoni said that another highlight of the system is that assessees who need to pay arrears to the Corporation would have to clear the outstanding before they pay the current dues. The hand-held machine would accept credit/debit cards, demand drafts and cheques besides cash. The Corporation, Mr. Lakhoni added, has decided to use the machines only to accept cheques and credit/debit cards. After the system is fully operational, payment through cash would also be introduced, as most residents of north Chennai only pay through cash.

A senior Corporation official who is part of the project said that Bharti Airtel has been awarded the contract for executing the automation project valued at Rs.93 lakh. A PoS machine is priced at Rs.20,000. All the transactions would be recorded within seconds and be available online.

For tax collectors, the machines would replace the bulky ledger books containing tax details. On a daily average, Rs.1.5 crore is collected by the tax collectors.

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Corporation holds camp for persons with disability

CHENNAI: G.Subbulakshmi and her husband, D.Shanmugaraj, are visually impaired. She earns Rs.50 a day by selling plastic pouches for identity cards on EMU services. “My husband repair chairs… but our family of four is unable to manage with the meagre income. We are looking for some financial assistance to set up a small business,” she said.

Ms. Subbulakshmi was one of the 562 persons with disabilities who submitted petitions to Mayor M. Subramanian at a special camp organised by Chennai Corporation on Saturday. While 244 persons sought pension, the rest wanted loans, jobs, vehicles and other aid.

There were others too like S.Sudhakar and N.Balamohan, who wanted loans to start a DTP and college project work centre. “Banks have only turned us back citing one reason or the other. We have not given up hope. In the meantime, we got to know about his camp and came here to apply for pension for the disabled,” said Sudhakar.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Subramanian listed the measures being initiated by the Corporation for their benefit. It had recently procured a specially designed bus for use by students of the School for Special Children run by the Corporation. He said that ramps were constructed in over 200 buildings belonging to the civic body.

Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni and Deputy Commissioner (Health) P. Jyothi Nirmala participated. Many persons with disability who attended the programme and have not yet been covered under the Kalaignar Health Insurance Scheme were photographed for inclusion. A medical camp was organised and calcium and vitamin tablets were provided.

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Corporation to collect blood samples from homes

CHENNAI: A scheme to collect blood samples from the doorsteps of residents and deliver the test results free of cost is to be launched after Pongal by the Chennai Corporation.

The investigation will be done at diagnostic laboratories run by the civic body at a nominal cost. The Corporation’s helpline number is 1913.

The scheme, announced in the 2009-10 Budget of the Corporation, is aimed to help women who find it difficult to go out during morning hours due to household chores.

“One person will be appointed for the purpose of collecting samples in each of the 10 zones. Depending on the need we will depute more people,” Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni told The Hindu. The civic body has proposed to outsource the job of collection and delivery.

The Corporation runs six diagnostic laboratories. “The cost for the tests [at Corporation laboratories] is about 40 to 50 per cent lower than the market rate,” Mr. Lakhoni said. The tests are open to all residents in the Chennai Corporation limits.

An ECG costs Rs.40, an ultrasound Rs.150 and an X-ray Rs.50. Random testing for blood glucose costs Rs.15 and pre-prandial and postprandial test Rs.30.

A lipid profile test is provided for Rs.60 and a liver function test for Rs.100. The scheme would also benefit those who need blood glucose monitor tests.

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Ten mortuary vans launched

CHENNAI: Since October, the Chennai Corporation’s freezer box service had been used a total of 5,469 times and its mortuary vans 3,224 times, Mayor M.Subramanian said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a function to launch 10 additional vans at a total cost of Rs.22.50 lakh and 15 freezer boxes at Rs.7 lakh totally, he said that the civic body offered these services free . The vans or freezer boxes can be booked by calling the Corporation helpline 1913, he added.

He said the civic body already had 30 freezer boxes and 10 mortuary vans. Mr. Subramanian also launched four small skid steer loader vehicles meant for removing debris. The loaders had been purchased at a cost of Rs.37.13 lakh. The civic body already has seven loaders.

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Mixed response to Corporation limits extension

CHENNAI: For those who wait for water from the inept panchayat or municipal tap, burn their garbage as there is practically none to clear it and depend on the sewage cleaning truck, the recent Government Order proposing extension of Chennai Corporation’s limits has come as good news.

Many feel that extension of the limits would largely benefit them in terms of infrastructure development.

V.Rajasekaran, a resident of Manali New Town, whose area falls within three village panchayats of Sadayangkuppam, Edayanchavadi and Kadapakkam that will now be joining the civic body, says: “Though we will have to shell out more money towards property tax, it is better than not having facilities. Our voice has remained unheard for over three decades. Leave alone infrastructure development, they have not been able to maintain what little is there. Even the burial ground has been left neglected.”

Though there is a general euphoria, there is another side to the coin. Paul Ramamurthy, secretary, Federation of Residents Welfare Associations, Madipakkam (South), cautioned that there would be problems of maintaining an ‘extended family’ for the Corporation, which was already fumbling on many counts of service delivery to its tax payers.

K.P.Subramanian, former professor of Urban Systems in Anna University, said that in any system there would be merits and demerits. “Residents of the suburbs will have the benefit of enjoying the expertise and financial capability of the Corporation. The civic body will bring more accountability, people will have a helpline to call and can process their work online. However, centralisation of powers will be a problem. The civic body may become unwieldy in future because of this,” he said.

Residents and industrialists are also sceptical about the timeframe within which there would be visible change. R.Sridharan, president of Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association, said change cannot be expected overnight. “The expected increase in the property value may prove a hurdle to expansion or setting up of small industries. SMEs [small and medium enterprises] would continue to enjoy the same incentives irrespective of the upgrade of local bodies. Major industries that may cause pollution may be asked to move out.”

K.V.Kanakambaram, president, Industrial Estate Manufacturer’s Association Guindy, said three industrial estates, Guindy, Arumbakkam, Villivakkam, which were inside the Chennai Corporation limits, were not maintained by the civic body, though it collected professional and property taxes. “The maintenance is being done by SIDCO. Only recently, the sewage network was taken over the Chennai Metrowater.”

On the real-estate front, people see a ray of hope and hope the sector would recover from the slump that it witnessed in the past decade. G.Sam of a private real-estate company, said there would be an increase in the volume of people on the lookout for property.

Unlike in the city’s southern suburbs, where there was a choice for people, in the north of Chennai, growth was mostly restricted to the Tondiarpet-Tiruvotriyur belt. Once merged with the Corporation, Metrowater would take over drinking water supply and sewerage in these areas, thereby resulting in lowering the unit construction cost, he said.

People are also wondering how soon the drawing up of wards and formation of administrative set-up can be completed. Areas under nine municipalities, eight town panchayats and 25 village panchayats in neighbouring Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts are to be merged with the present city.

Niranjan Mardi, Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, said the government had enough time to carry out the work.

Staff of the local bodies would be given an option of either joining the services of the city Corporation or remain in their previous departments, including Directorate of Town Planning. For those who opt to join Corporation, the question of seniority in service may arise, which would be addressed. He also said that schemes taken up in the suburbs under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) would be executed as planned, as they were funded for the Chennai urban agglomeration.

On how soon residents would be able to see some visible change, a senior Corporation official said better roads and street lighting can be seen within a year. “If we spread the development over two or three years, there would not be any issues of cash availability either,” he said.

When the limits are redrawn, areas under these municipalities, village and town panchayats would get more staff. Presently, each zone of the Chennai Corporation has about 1,800 staff, including conservancy personnel. Each zone consists of around 10 wards.

In the reorganised set-up, each ward would cover a population of 50,000, which would in turn would be served by 50-75 conservancy staff, one councillor, one Junior Engineer, Sanitary Inspector, one conservancy inspector and a basic health worker, among others. Also, the education and health systems in the areas to be merged will come into the Corporation’s fold.

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More areas to come under Chennai Corporation

CHENNAI: The area under the Chennai Corporation limits is set to expand by over two times, with the State government issuing an order for merger of several neighbouring local bodies with it. It would be 426 sq km after the merger as against 174 sq km now.

Seven municipalities, three town panchayats and 13 panchayat unions in Tiruvallur district and two municipalities, five town panchayats and 12 panchayat unions in Kancheepuram district would merge with the Corporation, according to the government order. The G.O. said that the elected representatives of the local bodies would continue in their posts until 2011 when the next elections would be held. The decision on formation of two new corporations — Chennai-Avadi and Chennai-Tambaram — would be taken later, the government order said.

As regards Chennai Corporation, the formation of new wards in the merged entities would be based on the population. The 155 wards currently in the Chennai Corporation would also be redrawn on this basis.

The Chennai Corporation Commissioner has been given the power to delineate the wards, zones and reclassify existing wards. If need be, he can designate an Officer on Special Duty. A report pertaining to the delineation and reclassification must be submitted to the government within six months.

The municipalities that would be part of the expanded Chennai Corporation are Kathivakkam, Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Maduravoyal, Valasaravakkam, Alandur and Ullagaram-Puzhudhivakkam.

The town panchayats are Chinna Sekkadu, Puzhal, Porur, Nandambakkam, Meenambakkam, Perungudi, Pallikaranai and Sholinganallur.

The panchayat unions identified are Edayanchavady, Sadayankuppam, Kattapakkam, Theeyampakkam, Mathur, Vada Perumbakkam, Surapet, Kathirvedu, Puthagaram, Nolambur, Karambakkam, Nerkundram, Ramapuram, Mugaliwakkam, Manapakkam, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai, Injambakkam, Karapakkam, Okkiam Thoraipakkam, Madipakkam, Jaladampet, Semmanchery and Uthandi.

The GO said that the expansion of the Corporation limits was necessitated as the neighbouring local bodies were unable to develop infrastructure in tune with the growth of population.

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Now, Corporation too begins to tweet

CHENNAI: You can now follow the Chennai Corporation on social networking site Twitter. The civic body has created an ID – chennaicorp – in an effort to communicate better with the online community.

Anybody, who is an ardent tweeter, can follow chennaicorp and get regular updates. If their mobile numbers are registered on Twitter, they can receive updates on the go.

One could also become a follower and reply to chennaicorp tweets and the civic body will respond to it, according to a senior official of the Corporation.

As on Thursday evening, the Chennai Corporation ID had two followers.

The first tweet that has been put up by the Corporation on Thursday is “Pay your tax using your mobile phone.”

A link to the civic body’s website ( http://www.chennaicorporation.gov.in) has also been posted on Twitter.

Likewise a widget will be created on the Corporation website that will link the user to Twitter.

The widget will have options for both replying to the tweets as well as contacting the civic body.

The official said that Twitter would also be used to pass on information about new schemes and facilities to the tweeting community.

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Chennai Corporation to tap solar energy

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation will harness solar energy for its new buildings and those structures that are due for renovation.

“A part of the power requirement for lighting and heating components of our new buildings will be met by solar-powered equipment and applications,” Rajesh Lakhoni, Commissioner of the Corporation, told The Hindu. Such new buildings include the proposed multi-speciality hospital at Alwarpet, the modern auditorium at Shenoy Nagar, the new Communicable Diseases Hospital at Tondiarpet and Corporation office buildings in Zone 2 and 5.

According to sources, provision for cutting-edge technology to tap solar energy has been incorporated in the design of the hospital at Alwarpet. The use of solar power would be important for hospitals to heat water.

The civic body does not plan to go for LEED (green) rating for the proposed buildings.

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Parents to get SMS about children skipping classes in schools

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation will soon start sending text messages (SMS) to parents of children studying in classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 in its schools whenever the students skip classes.

It is testing a software to be used for this purpose. A senior official of the civic body said the software, obtained from the CSR arm of an IT major for free, has been installed in the Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, Nungambakkam. It would be tested for a week after which the system of text messaging would be implemented across all Corporation schools, he added.

The ‘School Monitoring Software’ would also have a database of marks scored by the students of all classes in their monthly tests and term examinations.

This would help monitor their performance.

If students’ performance dipped, it would be taken note of by the school authorities and remedial measures initiated. Nearly 1.27 lakh students study in the over 300 Corporation schools.

Over a period of time, the marks would be made available online and students or their parents could get details from the website. Marksheets and transfer certificates could also be obtained easily using the software.

The performance of the school teachers would also be monitored with the software. If they are not up to the mark, seminars and workshops would be conducted to improve their teaching standard.

As the monitoring would be done centrally, absenteeism among teachers could be curbed.

Computers available in the schools would be used to implement the system. Existing staff, including junior assistants and school assistants, would make the entries.

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Laptops for Corporation zonal officers

The Chennai Corporation on Tuesday distributed laptops to the heads of its various departments and zonal officers.

The provision of laptops to the Corporation officials will facilitate faster redressal of public grievances and efficient monitoring of various administrative functions. The move would also be beneficial for implementation of the integrated web-based e-governance programme, which is under progress, Mayor M.Subramanian said after handing over laptops to 30 officials.

Officials of the civic body said that the laptops would be useful to the officials who go on inspections frequently, to monitor the progress of projects in their departments. The 30 laptops, costing Rs.15.75 lakh, were given to heads of various departments, including health and revenue, Chief Engineers, District Family Welfare Officers and zonal officers at the function held in the Mayor’s chamber in Ripon building.

Mr.Subramanian said that the Corporation was taking several measures to redress public grievances. It had provided mobile phones to 960 officials and councillors, at a cost of Rs.15 lakh.

Chennai Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni, Deputy Mayor R. Sathyabama, DMK floor leader N. Ramalingam and opposition floor leader Saidai Ravi participated in the function.

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Corporation to gift gold rings to babies who are given Tamil names

CHENNAI: Chennai Corporation on Tuesday announced that it will give one-gram gold ring each to babies born in Corporation maternity hospitals if they are given Tamil names.

Addressing presspersons, Mayor M. Subramanian said, “The scheme would come into force at 6 a.m. on Wednesday and was being launched to mark the birthday of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.”

The scheme figured in the civic body’s 2009-2010 budget as a measure to encourage people to give Tamil names to their babies.

A panel of experts in Tamil would be formed to decide on the names eligible for the gold rings, said Mr. Subramanian. It would meet every 15 days and declare the names eligible. The distribution of gold rings would be carried out by the officials of the civic body every 15 days, said Mr. Subramanian. The officials will be given material on Tamil names.

Mr. Subramanian said that many of the people whose mother tongue is Tamil were reluctant to have Tamil names for their children. But people who speak other languages were keen to have names in their own mother tongues, he said.

The Corporation has taken measures to issue birth certificates free of cost within 24 hours of birth of a baby, the Mayor said.

Maternity hospitals run by the civic body have been modernised and they provide free services to the weaker sections, he added.

Disposable maternity kits would be provided to maternity hospitals. Around 15,000 babies are born in Corporation maternity hospitals every year, said Mr. Subramanian.

A total of 11,367 babies have been given gift packs under a scheme announced last September.

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SSLC toppers among Corporation school students

CHENNAI: The SSLC topper among Chennai Corporation school students D. Agalyatharani of Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School at Nungambakkam missed a few marks in the Social Sciences paper. “The paper was tough this time. I missed out a centum by two marks.” She got centum in Mathematics and Science.

Having scored 490/500, she plans to take up the first group in Plus-I and then do her B.Tech. The daughter of a P.G. teacher in chemistry, she said her teachers ensured that all of them attended special classes and took a lot of tests.

The second ranker has a supportive family. A student of Buddha Street Corporation Higher Secondary School, Zarina Begum of Korukupet scored 484/500. Her entire family, including cousins, uncles and aunts, had accompanied her to Ripon Building when she was invited by the Corporation to meet Mayor M. Subramanian.

“We plan to walk to the Kovalam Durgah on Sunday morning. We had promised to walk the distance if I scored good marks,” said Zarina, who too wants to become an engineer.

The daughter of Nageshwar Rao, a make-up artist, P. Aparna, a student of CGHSS at Nungambakkam scored 482/500. Aparna aspires to become a doctor. “That has been my dream right from childhood.” She missed the centum in social science by one mark. When asked if the students had been given any career guidance so that they could choose their subjects in Plus-I, the students answered in the negative.

Earlier, addressing a press meet, Mr. Subramanian said that this year Corporation schools had a pass percentage of 82.5. Last year, the Corporation schools recorded a pass percentage of 79 per cent.

A little over 9,009 students took the SSLC examination, of which 7,429 passed. The pass percentage of girls was 85.4 and that of boys was 78.8. A total of 924 students had totals above 400 marks.

Twenty-two students got centum of which 15 were in Mathematics and seven in Science.

The Corporation High School, Kilpauk got cent percent pass, followed by the Vanniyar Teynampet school with 98.2 per cent and Walltax Road school with 97.1 per cent.

He said that a total of Rs.100 crore had been allocated for the Education Department this year. Mr. Subramanian said that a meeting of school headmasters would be held to discuss the performance of the children.

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Property tax collection exceeds target this fiscal

CHENNAI: With still a week left for the current fiscal to end, the Chennai Corporation, which has already netted Rs. 300 crore property tax, is confident of collecting Rs.25 crore more.

Of Rs.198.47 crore property tax arrears, the civic body this month has collected Rs.60 crore. The increase in the property tax collection in 2008-09 happened despite the tax rates remaining the same.

The tax rates were last revised in 1998-99.

It had set for itself a target of Rs.300 crore property tax this fiscal, including recovery of arrears. In 2007-08, the revenue collection under this head was Rs.283.80 crore; in 2006-07 – Rs. 227.71 crore; in 2005-06 – Rs. 218.07 crore and in 2004-05 – Rs.210.85 crore.

While the Corporation has been able to improve its revenue collection in the last five years, property tax outstanding has also been growing and at present stands at Rs.138.47 crore.

Giving data on the arrears, a Corporation official said the reason some of the zones had huge backlog of arrears was because they have a larger number of commercial buildings, who owe a lot to the civic body.

He said a total of 63 such assessees owe more than Rs.25 lakh each, 500 assesses Rs.10 lakh-plus each, 800 assessees had to pay over Rs.5 lakh each, and 7,800 assessees over Rs. 1 lakh each.

On the measures being taken to collect the arrears, he said the Corporation has been undertaking special drives in all its 10 zones for the purpose.

The list of property owners who have not paid the tax on time was generated from the computerised database.

Re-assessing properties

Simultaneously, the Corporation has been taking steps to prevent under-assessment of property tax by re-assessing the properties.

The official said out a total of 1.10 lakh commercial and residential-mixed commercial properties, 55,000 were found to be under-assessed. Notices, demanding payment, including arrears for the past few years, had been sent to owners.

“But more than two lakh individual houses are also said to be under-assessed and we will organise a camp after the general elections. An opportunity would be given to the assessees to come clean.”

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Online grievance redress system launched

A Click away: Chennai Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni briefs Mayor M.Subramanian about the new facility.

CHENNAI: Chennai Corporation on Saturday launched the unified online Public Grievance Redressal (PGR) System as part of its initiate to improve delivery of services to the people.

With the help of the PGR, it will be able to register all complaints systematically and track their redressal. The system would structure the various types of complaints and enable better problem analysis and help in assigning them to the departments concerned.

Mayor M.Subramanian said, “This is one of the initiatives of the Corporation to solve the various types of problems which have accompanied the rapid growth of the city.”

The system also has a provision to display the number of complaints in each department and ward. A complaint ID number would be generated automatically as acknowledgement. The number would help the complainants track and monitor the official response. The new process of the civic body should aid the people post their grievances, comments and suggestions at their own convenience, Mr.Subramanian said. People can visit the corporation website www.chennaicorporation.gov.in to make use of this facility.

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Now, online service for building plan approval

At the click of a mouse you can now check if your building plan confirms to Development Regulations. There is no need to take multiple copies for submission, or wait for long periods for approval. The recent measures of the Chennai Corporation have made the process of getting building approvals for new constructions and additions to existing buildings simple and straight forward.

One can just log onto www.chennaicorporation.gov.in and click on the link called “Building Plan Submission” from where one would be directed to a page with links to “New plan”. Here the digital copy of the building plan can be uploaded. The plans submitted would be scrutinised within a maximum time of 24 hours.

If one clicks the link “View Plan report”- the submitted plan would be scrutinised by the software and a report will be generated regarding compliance. If there are any corrections to be made, applicants can submit a fresh plan using the “Resubmit plan” option. This can be done any number of times. Even though the Corporation does not have powers to approve multi-storey buildings the software has the capability to process plans for such buildings. The software for providing the service has been installed at a cost of Rs.40 lakh.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni told The Hindu-Property Plus that the civic body receives about 10,000 building plans for approval every year. “The idea is that we do not want people to run around. Many view planning approval with a lot of apprehension. They are afraid of the mistakes that the Corporation would find and the delays. Online submission of the plans would help reduce time needed to verify and make plan permits accurate” he explained.

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Ward Member Improvement Scheme funds go up

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation has increased the Ward Member Improvement Scheme funds from Rs.15 lakh to Rs.25 lakh.

Speaking at the discussion on 2009-2010 budget of the civic body, Mayor M.Subramanian on Monday said that the decision was made following requests from various members of the council.

Mr.Subramanian said that the Corporation planned to build public toilets for transgenders in the city. “The locations where they are concentrated will be identified soon for constructing the facility,” he added.

The civic body would construct modern nutritious meal centres in all zones at a cost of Rs.10.58 crore. The Corporation would construct shops for hawkers in Shenoy Nagar and Ayanavaram.

New gymnasium for the youth would be constructed at 35 locations in the city at a cost of Rs.6 crore. Playgrounds in 25 locations including schools would be renovated.

Around 10,000 approved plans have been scanned and measures would be taken to help people download the approved plans from the Corporation website. The records of documents and plans of Corporation property will be computerised.

Opposition Leader Saidai P.Ravi said private hospitals should be included in the health card scheme for slum dwellers.

He said the proposed dental hospital in north and south Chennai should be located in a place with better road connectivity to help more number of people. He added the existing dental hospital in Ashok Nagar should be modernised and more dentists appointed.

The scheme to reduce the number of bullock carts has to keep in mind the sentiments of the people concerned, he said.

The scheme to build more bridges in various parts of the city should be started, he said. DMK floor leader in the council N.Ramalingam said the English sections should be started in Corporation middle schools also. R.D.Sekhar of Ward 2 welcomed the budget. A total of 43 members of the council spoke.

The council also congratulated music director A.R.Rahman on his success in the international stage by winning the Oscar awards.

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ELCOT to help Corporation computerise all operations

CHENNAI: Computerisation of all operations of the Chennai Corporation will be done with the help of ELCOT at the cost of Rs.1.8 crore.

Digital mapping of the areas in the corporation limits will be completed by June this year and a facility for automated tax payment extended to all parts of the city, said Mayor M.Subramanian.

Addressing the council meeting on Saturday, he said that a total of 4,000 new streetlights would be installed at the cost of Rs.8.30 crore, electric cables replaced, 15 vehicles with ladders purchased at the cost of Rs.1 crore to repair and maintain streetlights and high-mast lights.

A total of Rs.3 crore had been allocated for installing decorative lights at the Ripon Building and on the Napier Bridge, according to Mr. Subramanian.

September 29th of every year would be celebrated as Corporation Day to mark the foundation day of the Corporation, which was founded in 1688.

Competitions would be conducted for students, Corporation Councillors and officials.

A museum to commemorate 320 years of the Chennai Corporation would come up in the Ripon Building complex. The Victoria Public Hall would be renovated at the cost of Rs.9.75 crore and emphasis put on preserving its architectural elements.

Sports infrastructure, including modern 200 and 400 metre tracks would be constructed in north and south Chennai. Cash prizes would be awarded to students of Corporation schools winning national and State-level sports competitions.

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Corporation to turn more citizen-friendly

Chennai: The Chennai Corporation is planning to make its 10 zonal offices more citizen-friendly by bringing in agents trained in customer care.

The agents in the ‘citizen service centres’ in the zonal offices will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to handle queries from the public. They can also be contacted over phone. The civic body will identify a private firm that can provide agents to offer this service.

Citizens can seek information on birth and death registration certificates, property taxes, building permissions and licences. Such queries are now answered by Corporation staff in the service centres in the zonal offices.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said professionally-trained agents would be able to create a citizen-friendly atmosphere in the zonal offices.

Property tax payment and obtaining birth/death certificates and applying for permissions have become easier with upgraded technology in zonal offices, the Commissioner said.

The citizen-friendly service by trained agents is another step in this direction, he said.

The civic body has called for bids from private firms specialising in front office administration or call centre customer care.

Agents are expected to be trained in interacting with citizens with respect, politeness and patience, said Corporation officials.

They would be fluent in both Tamil and English in order to respond to queries. Each centre would have three agents who will operate on shifts.

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Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin launching the online facility for issue of birth and death

— Photo: V. Ganesan

EASY TO USE: Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin launching the online facility for issue of birth and death certificates in Chennai on Sunday.

CHENNAI: A click of the computer mouse is all that is required now to get copies of birth and death certificates issued by the Chennai Corporation.

Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday launched the Corporation’s online facility to issue birth and death certificates. He said the certificates could be downloaded from any part of the world free of cost.

“The facility is easy to use and people can save a lot of time,” he said.

The Corporation’s website ( www.chennaicorporation.gov.in) has a link for ‘online civic services.’

The user can click the link and choose the birth or death certificate option. The search criteria include name, registration number and parents’ names. Any two criteria need to be filled to launch the search. Once the certificate is found online, it can be printed out. About 1.06 lakh births and 41,000 deaths are registered in the city every year.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said the website had received thousands of clicks recently in response to the online services offered.

“About 92 per cent of the clicks are to view birth, death and property tax details,” he said.

The Corporation will soon inaugurate online booking for community halls and mortuary vans.

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