The Greater Chennai Corporation,
formerly known as the Corporation of Madras (1688-1996) and Corporation of Chennai (1996-2016), is the civic body that governs the city of
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
in the
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.
History
Pre-indepen ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
issued by
King James II of England
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
on 30 December 1687 as the Corporation of Madras, it is the oldest municipal body of the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
outside
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
.
It is among the oldest municipalities in Asia after
Daman
Daman may refer to: place
Places
*Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, a union territory in India
**Daman and Diu, former union territory of India, now part of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
**Daman district, India
***Daman, India ...
Municipality, which was established in 1588. It is the largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu with an area of 426 km
2. It is headed by a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
, who presides over 200
councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
s, each of whom represents one of the
200 wards of the city. It is the second oldest civic corporation in the world after the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
.
History
The Madras Corporation is the oldest
municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
body of the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
outside the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. It was formed in 1688 to control the powers of the Governor of Madras,
Elihu Yale
Elihu Yale (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) was a British-American colonial administrator and philanthropist. Although born in Boston, Massachusetts, he only lived in America as a child, spending the rest of his life in England, Wales and India ...
. The corporation was created by a Royal Charter issued on 30 December 1687 by
King James II
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
on the advice of the chairman of the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
,
Josiah Child
Sir Josiah Child, 1st Baronet, , (c. 1630/31 – 22 June 1699) was an English economist, merchant and politician. He was an economist proponent of mercantilism and governor of the East India Company. He led the company in the Anglo-Mughal War. ...
, on the model of Dutch Government in the East Indies.
The charter constituted the existing town of Fort St. George and all the territories belonging to the town, not exceeding a distance of ten miles from the Fort, into a Corporation. The Parliamentary Act of 1792 conferred the new Corporation power to levy municipal taxes in the city. The municipal administration also commenced from this act, making provision for the administration of the city. The Municipal Act continued to be amended, constantly introducing major changes in the constitution and powers of the corporation from time to time.
Prior to the establishments of the corporation, the
Governor of Madras
This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947.
English Agents
In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized be ...
or the company's agent managed the affairs of the
Fort St George
Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress in the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further s ...
and its residents with the assistance of a headman, an accountant, and the head of watch and ward. The Governor sat as Madras's
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
. Taxes were introduced by Governor
Streynsham Master
Sir Streynsham Master (28 October 1640 – 28 April 1724) was an English colonial administrator who was one of the 17th-century pioneers of the English East India Company. He served as the Agent of Madras from 27 January 1678 to 3 July 1681, a ...
(1678–1681). Complications arising out of these impositions and the growing expenses of an expanding town led to Sir Josiah drawing up plans for a more formal body of civic administration. The corporation was inaugurated on 29 September 1688 with power to decide on petty cases, levy rates upon the inhabitants for building of schools, a town hall and a jail, when the new Mayor, 12 Aldermen and 60 Burgesses took their oaths.
The first members of the corporation were representatives from diverse ethnicities. Nathaniel Higginson was the first Mayor, and he appointed representatives from the English, Scottish, French, Portuguese, and Indian mercantile communities as Aldermen. The post of the Mayor was held for one year at a time, the Mayor being elected by the Aldermen, whose term of office was for life.
By 1856, the duties of the Corporation became more clearly defined. In 1919, the Aldermen were re-styled as 'Councillors'. The title of 'Mayor' had been replaced by 'President', and P. Theagaraya Chetty was nominated as president, the first Indian to be so chosen. However, the office of Mayor was re-created in 1933, when Kumararajah
M. A. Muthiah Chettiar
Raja Sir Muttaiya Annamalai Muthiah Chettiar (5 August 1905 – 12 May 1984) was an Indian banker, politician, philanthropist, socialite and cultural activist who served as Mayor of Madras city (1933) and Minister of Excise and Education ...
made the transition from last President to first new Mayor. The mayoralty has remained thereafter.
By 1901, the corporation had grown to encompass an area of 68 sq km comprising 30 territorial divisions with a population of 540,000.
In 1913, the Corporation moved to the newly constructed
Ripon Building
The Ripon Building is the seat and headquarters of the Greater Chennai Corporation in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is an example of neoclassical architecture, a combination of Ionic and Corinthian styles. The Ripon Building is an all-white structure ...
, which was built on parts of the People's Park. The building was named after
Lord Ripon
George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, (24 October 1827 – 9 July 1909), styled Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and known as the Earl of Ripon in 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British p ...
who, as
Viceroy of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
from 1880 to 1884, had introduced local government reforms. He is remembered in a statue in the Corporation precincts. The first native Indian to both govern the
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
and later serve as Mayor of erstwhile
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
was the Honourable
K. Sriramulu Naidu
Kamalumpundi Sriramulu Naidu was a leader in the Justice Party, contemporary of Periyar and the first Mayor of Madras in the 1930s and 1940s, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He belonged to the Velama caste. His father was the chief ...
, who served during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1978, the boundaries of the area administrated by the corporation was increased to 174 sq km.
The Madras Municipal Corporation Act, 1919 (as amended) provides the basic statutory authority for the administration now.
Zone
Expansion
In October 2011, the expansion process was initiated before the elections to the corporation council in October. In this move, 42 small local bodies, including 9 municipalities, 8 town panchayats and 25 village panchayats, were merged with Chennai Corporation, taking the area up by 140% to 426 km
2 from the earlier 176 km
2.
Some areas have been arbitrarily left out, to the discontent of the residents of those areas. The new expanded Corporation of Chennai has 200 wards, an increase of 45 wards. Elections were held for the expanded corporation in October 2011.
The erstwhile municipalities that became a part of expanded
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
Corporation are
Kathivakkam
Katthivakkam is an residential and industrial area located in the northern part of Chennai. It is a part of zone 1 in Greater Chennai Corporation. It is under Thiruvottiyur taluk in Chennai district. It is a part of Thiruvottiyur(state assembly ...
,
Tiruvottiyur
Tiruvottriyur (Thiruvottiyur or TVT) is a neighbourhood in North Chennai, administered by the Greater Chennai Corporation. It is part of the Tondiarpet division, located to the north of Chennai. It is one of the fifteen administrative zones in t ...
,
Manali,
Madhavaram Madhavaram may refer to:
Places in South India Andhra Pradesh
* Madhavaram, Kukkunoor, a village in Kukkunoor Taluk, Eluru district
* Madhavaram, Tadepalligudem, a village in Tadepalligudem mandal
Tadepalligudem mandal is one of the 19 mand ...
,
Ambattur
Ambattur is located in northwestern part of Chennai City, in Ambattur taluk of the Chennai District, surrounded by Avadi, Anna Nagar, Padi, Mogappair, Kallikuppam, Surapet, Korattur, Ayappakkam, and Thiruverkadu. It covers an area of . The n ...
,
Maduravoyal
Maduravoyal is a residential neighbourhood located in the west of Chennai, India. As of 2011, the town had a population of 86,195.
Maduravoyal also has a name as "ettam kal" (8th mile), so it could be famous in British Period too, it is exac ...
,
Valasaravakkam
Valasaravakkam is a neighbourhood in the Chennai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a residential suburb of the city of Chennai. It is located in the Poonamallee Taluk at a distance of approximately 15 kilometres from the Kilometer ...
,
Alandur
Alandur is a zone of Chennai corporation, and an urban node in Chennai district in Guindy division in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is Surrounded by Guindy in the North and East, Adambakkam in the South, Pazhavanthangal in the South-Wes ...
and
Ullagaram–
Puzhuthivakkam
Puzhuthivakkam, commonly known as Ullagaram or Ullagaram–Puzhuthivakkam, is a southern neighbourhood of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. Puzhuthivakkam loosely translates to dust neighborhood. The neighbourhood is part of the Greater Chennai Corp ...
.
The erstwhile town panchayats that became a part of expanded Chennai Corporation are
Chinnasekkadu
Chinnasekkadu is a neighbourhood of Chennai in Chennai district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Chinnasekkadu used to be a town panchayat in Thiruvallur district. In 2011, Chinnasekkadu town panchayat was merged with Chennai Corporation. Chin ...
,
Puzhal
Pulhal is a Northwestern residential town in Chennai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pulhal is located on the banks of Pulhal Lake. The town is known for Pulhal Central Prison.
The area is one of the 163 notified areas ( megalithic ...
,
Porur
Porur () is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is situated in the Maduravoyal taluk of Chennai district in the southern part of the city. Since 2011, it has been a part of the Chennai Corporation and included in zone number 11.
The earliest ...
,
Nandambakkam
Nandambakkam is a western neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is known for the Chennai Trade Centre and the Surgical Instruments Factory. In 2011 Nandambakkam was included to Chennai district by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Geography
Nandamb ...
,
Meenambakkam
Meenambakkam is a southern neighbourhood of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is home to Chennai International Airport, the Airports Authority of India regional office, and the DGQA Complex. It was under the reign of the Pallava kin ...
,
Perungudi
Perungudi is a neighbourhood of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated about south of Adyar. It is bordered on two sides by the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Perungudi lake. It is situated on the Old Mahabalipuram IT Expre ...
,
Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai is a neighborhood and a residential area in south Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located in proximity to the IT industry in Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai's central business districts and the automobile hub in GST road has attracted m ...
and
Sholinganallur
Sholinganallur, also spelled Solinganalloor or Sozhinganalloor, is a locality in the southern part of Chennai, India.
Etymology
The etymology given by Tamil scholars is "chola" + "angam" + "nallur" , which indicates that Sholinganallur was on ...
.
The erstwhile panchayat unions that became a part of expanded Chennai Corporation are
Edayanchavadi
Edayanchavadi ( ta, இடையன்சாவடி), is a developing residential area in North Chennai, a metropolitan city in Tamil Nadu, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is th ...
,
Sadayankuppam,
Kadapakkam,
Theeyampakkam,
Mathur,
Vadaperumbakkam
Vadaperumbakkam ( ta, வடபெரும்பாக்கம்), is a developing residential area in North Chennai, a metropolitan city in Tamil Nadu, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South A ...
,
Surapet
{{Infobox settlement
, name = SURAPET
, native_name_lang = தமிழ்
, other_name =
, nickname =
, settlement_type = Neighbourhood
, image_skyline = Chen ...
,
Kathirvedu,
Puthagaram
Puthagaram is a village in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home o ...
,
Nolambur
Nolambur is the neighbourhood in the western part of Chennai. It is near to the Poonamallee High Road near Maduravoyal, Mogappair West, Ambattur, Ayanambakkam, and Athipet.
Road access from the north is from Mogappair and Ambattur Industrial ...
,
Karambakkam
Karambakkam is a census town in Chennai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and large ...
,
Nerkundram
Nerkundram or Nerkunram is a census town located in Chennai City, Chennai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It falls under Maduravoyal (State Assembly Constituency) constituency in Tiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu ...
,
Ramapuram,
Mugalivakkam
Mugalivakkam is a neighbourhood of Chennai. It is situated 16 km south-west of Chennai on the Mount-Poonamallee Road. It is bounded by Porur on the North Meenambakkam and Manapakkam on the South and South East, Madhanandhapuram and Geruga ...
,
Manapakkam
Manapakkam is a suburb of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A census town, Manapakkam is located along the Mount-Poonamallee Road in Chennai. It is now a home to many IT companies
like DLF Cybercity Chennai and Larsen & Toubro. Manapp ...
,
Kottivakkam
Kottivakam is a locality in the south of Chennai in Chennai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Kottivakkam is included with the Chennai Corporation.
Demographics
India census, Kottivakkam had a population of 20,217. Males constitute ...
,
Palavakkam
Palavakam is a locality in the south of Chennai and census town in Chennai district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the East Coast Road about 6 km south of Adyar (Chennai), Adyar.
Demogra ...
,
Neelankarai
Neelangarai (literally "blue shore") is a census town and is a locality in the south of Chennai. it is situated in Chennai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu about seven kilometers south of Adyar, Chennai.
The former name of the city was ...
,
Injambakkam
Injambakkam is a locality in the south of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Being a part of the Walajabad block of the district, its panchayat is part of Walajabad panchayat union. Injambakkam is located along the ECR.
Demographics ...
,
Karapakkam
Karapakkam is an area of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the stops on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, or commonly referred to as OMR. It is situated between the IT Hubs of Thoraipakkam and Sholinganallur. It is parallel to Injambakkam ...
,
Okkiam Thoraipakkam,
Madipakkam
Madipakkam is residential locality situated in south of Chennai, India. It has been recently placed under the Greater Chennai Corporation.
Demographics
India census, Madipakkam had a population of 14,940. Males constitute 51% of the popula ...
,
Jalladiampet,
Semmanchery and Uthandi.
Administration
From among themselves, the councillors elect the mayor and a deputy mayor who preside over about 10 standing committees.
The council normally meets once a month. The executive wing is headed by the Commissioner. In addition, there are deputy commissioners, various heads of departments and 15 zonal officers.
The first native Indian to govern the
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
as well as serve later as the first Mayor post-independence of erstwhile
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
was
L. Sriramulu Naidu
Kamalumpundi Sriramulu Naidu was a leader in the Justice Party, contemporary of Periyar and the first Mayor of Madras in the 1930s and 1940s, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He belonged to the Velama caste. His father was the chief ...
. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, houses the state
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dire ...
and
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings on the
Fort St George campus but also in several other buildings in the city. The
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...
, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
* Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India
** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry tal ...
, is the highest
judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudication, adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and app ...
authority in the state. The
district of Chennai has four
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...
constituencies—
Chennai North
Chennai North is one of the three Lok Sabha constituencies in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 2 of 39. Formerly it was known as ''Madras North''.
Assembly segments After 2009
After delimitation, Chennai ...
,
Chennai Central
Chennai Central (station code: MAS, short for ''Madras''), officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway ...
,
Chennai South
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and
Sriperumbudur
Sriperumbudur is a town panchayat in the Kanchipuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Chennai on the National Highway 4 (India)(old numbering), National Highway 4 and i ...
, which elects 29 members of the legislative assembly (
MLAs) to the state legislature.
The metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of
Chengalpattu
Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is away fro ...
,
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...
and
Thiruvallur
Tiruvallur is a Grade I municipality and a fast developing city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of Coovum river about from downtown Chennai ( Madras) and just 5 km from megacity border, in the western p ...
districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called
panchayats
The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical menti ...
. While the city covers an area of 174 km
2 (67 mi
2),
the metropolitan area is spread over 1,189 km
2 (458 mi
2).
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (
CMDA) has drafted a Second Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. Contiguous satellite towns include
Mahabalipuram
Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is o ...
to the south, Chengalpattu and
Maraimalai Nagar
Maraimalai Nagar is a satellite town of Chennai, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a municipality town in Chengalpattu district. It lies in the southern part of the Chennai metropolitan area around 50 km from downtown Chennai ...
to the southwest, and Kanchipuram,
Sriperumpudur
Sriperumbudur is a town panchayat in the Kanchipuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Chennai on the National Highway 4 and is just outside the Chennai Metropolitan Are ...
, Tiruvallur and
Arakkonam
Arakkonam () is a railway town and suburb of Chennai within Chennai Metropolitan Area limit, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with a population of 78,395 per the census 2011. It is in the newly created Ranipet district, about from Ranipet head ...
to the west.
Administrative divisions
![Chennai zones](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Chennai_zones.png)
The city is classified into three regions: North Chennai, Central Chennai and South Chennai.
It is further divided into 15 zones, consisting of 200 wards.
The newly annexed areas were divided into 93 wards, and the remaining 107 wards were created out of the original 155 within the old city limits.
, the new wards are yet to be named.
[ Out of the 200 wards, 26 were reserved for ]scheduled castes and scheduled tribes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
and 58 were reserved for women.[
The 15 Zones are:
]
Departments
The corporation has the following departments:
Elections
The seats of the Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
, Deputy Mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected dep ...
and the Greater Chennai Corporation Council have been vacant since 2016. As part of the 2022 Tamil Nadu urban civic body elections
2022 Tamil Nadu urban local body elections, to the Local civic bodies in Tamil Nadu were held in urban areas in the month of February 2022. The Greater Chennai Corporation, alongside 20 other municipal corporations of Tamil Nadu, went to poll ...
, the Greater Chennai Corporation went to polling on 19 February 2022, alongside 20 other municipal corporations of Tamil Nadu, to elect 200 councillors to represent the city's 200 wards; the councillors will choose one amongst themselves as the Mayor of Chennai
The city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India is administered by the Corporation of Chennai headed by a Mayor. The Mayor is the first citizen of the city. The person is the chief of the Chennai Municipal Corporation. The Chennai Municipal Corporation ...
, a historically significant, coveted office. The Government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...
had announced that the Mayor's seat has been reserved for a Scheduled Caste
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
woman this time. The election results were announced on 22 February 2022 by the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...
(DMK) won 153 out of the total 200 wards in Chennai, with the other parties in its Secular Progressive Alliance
Secular Progressive Alliance, formerly known as Democratic Progressive Alliance, is an alliance of Indian political parties formed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
History
The alliance was known as the ''Democratic Progressive Allian ...
winning 25 more seats—13 for Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
, four for Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M), four for Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (; VCK) formerly known as the Dalit Panthers of India or the Dalit Panthers Iyyakkam (; DPI) is an Indian social movement and political party that seeks to combat caste based discrimination, active in the state o ...
(VCK), two for Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ( 'Renaissance Dravidian Progressive Federation') is a political party active in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It was established by Vaiko in 1994 after ...
(MDMK), one each for Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
(CPI) and Indian Union Muslim League
The Indian Union Muslim League (abbreviated as the I. U. M. L. or the League) is an Indian political party primarily based in the Indian state of Kerala. It is recognised as a State Party in Kerala by the Election Commission of India.
The first ...
(IUML). The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mini ...
(AIADMK) won 15 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
(BJP), the ruling party of the Union Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
, won one seat. The Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam
The Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (; AMMK) is an Indian regional political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former member of parliament of the Republic of India T. T. V. Dhinakaran at Madurai on 15 Marc ...
(AMMK) also won a seat. Aside parties, five independent candidates
An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.
Some politicians have political views th ...
won in their respective wards. The councillors formally elected the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor on 4 March 2022. Having secured an absolute majority
A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...
, the DMK's mayoral candidate Priya Rajan
Priya Rajan (born 20 November 1993) of DMK party, is the forty-ninth and incumbent mayor of Chennai city, Tamil Nadu. She succeeded Saidai Duraisamy of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to become the third woman mayor of the city after ...
became the 46th Mayor of Chennai, unopposed. She is the youngest mayor in Chennai's history (aged 28), and the first Dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...
woman to hold the office.
Emblem
During the British period the Madras Corporation flag had the 'sea, boat, 3 lions and 2 fish'. The 3 lions represented the British and the sea, boat, and fish denoted the seashore of madras. After Independence, the need for changing the flag arose. M.P. Sivagnanam (Ma. Po. Si.
Mylai Ponnuswamy Sivagnanam,[Padma Awards 1972](_blank)
padmaawards.gov.in popularl ...
) who was heading the education wing of the corporation suggested the Pandiya, Chola, Chera's symbol 'Fish, Tiger and Bow' (which he already had in his 'Tamil arasu kazhagam's flag). Rajaji agreed with his suggestion.
Police
The Greater Chennai Police
The Greater Chennai Police, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency for the city of Chennai in India and the surrounding area. The city police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police and the administrative contr ...
department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police
Tamil Nadu Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is over 150 years old and is the fifth largest state police force in India. , is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a commissioner of police, and administrative control rests with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry. The department consists of 36 subdivisions with a total of 121 police stations, of which 15 are ISO 9001
The ISO 9000 family is a set of five quality management systems (QMS) standards that help organizations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. ISO 90 ...
:2000 certified.[*] The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police
The Greater Chennai Police, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency for the city of Chennai in India and the surrounding area. The city police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police and the administrative contr ...
(CCTP). The Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police
The Greater Chennai Police, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency for the city of Chennai in India and the surrounding area. The city police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police and the administrative contr ...
, and outer district areas are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.
Budget
As of 2020, the city government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
's budget is , out of which was earmarked for capital expenditure, is to be spent on the smart city project and a massive on laying bus routes, construction of new bridges and other methods of improve the transport infrastructure of the city.
Location and demography
Chennai Corporation area is located on the Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, bounded by the Utkal Plains to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Kaveri delta to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west, extending over an ...
in the central eastern coastal region of the Deccan plateau
The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...
and the northern end of the state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. The city stretches along the coast covering about 43 km of sandy beach and extending about 19 km inland, encompassing an area of 426 sq km. The estimated population is about 6.5 million.
Functions
The corporation maintains roads, streetlights, and flyovers across the city and also the city's cleanliness and hygiene levels. It maintains 1,160 roads measuring a total of 370 km and storm water drain measuring 962 km and has 213,045 streetlights. Power consumption by the streetlights amounts to 50 megawatts a day, costing 14,00,000. The corporation has 260 parks and maintains 113 community halls for public use. The corporation registers about 400 births and 180 deaths every day. The corporation also runs an abattoir
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...
. There are 23,538 staffs working in the corporation. In 2011–2012, 190 million was allotted by the Tamil Nadu government for the development of the city areas within corporation limits. In 2014, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) planned to change its 11-kilo volt transformers with 1,784 ring main units (RMUs) that are compact and safe.
Roads
The corporation maintains a total of 1,160 macadam
Macadam is a type of road construction, pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the o ...
ised bus routes running to a total length of 353.94 km. The Total length of interior roads measures about 5,563.06 km. Total length of cement concrete roads maintained by the Corporation in the bus routes measures 3.68 km and the length of cement concrete interior roads measures 1,292.54 km.
The newly expanded region of the corporation alone has 2,752 km of roads, along which there is a 682.4 km network of storm water drains.
Street lamps in the city were introduced in 1785. Until the introduction of electric street lighting, the street lighting was done by oil lights. Till 1857, there were only 200 oil light lamps. By the year 1910, this was increased to 6,500. In 1910, electric street lighting was introduced. By 1924–1925, all the oil lights in the streets of the city were completely replaced by electric lights. The corporation also maintains 264 high-mast lights and 133 8-meter and 12-meter lamp posts with cluster lights at important junctions. The Corporation owns 22 hydraulic vehicles for attending maintenance work to streetlights. In 2012, the Corporation started installing 60,000 streetlights in the newly included zones, in addition to replacing about 88,000 old streetlights in these zones. Per the norm of the corporation, the minimum distance between two adjacent streetlights is 25 metre.
As on 2012, the corporation maintains 262 bridges, road-overbridges and road-underbridges, including 65 high-level bridges, 31 box culverts, 81 slab culverts, 11 rail-overbridges, 14 rail-underbridges, 6 pedestrian subways, 6 causeways, 35 footbridges and 13 grade separators.
In 2013, the corporation acquired a Road Measurement Data Acquisition System (ROMDAS) to check the quality of newly laid roads.
Parks and open green spaces
Chennai has one of the lowest per capita green space in the country. As of 2012, It has only about 0.46 square metres per city dweller. According to the development rules, when plots measuring more than 10,000 square metres are developed, 10% of the area must be reserved as open space and gifted to the local bodies, and in plots measuring between 3,000 and 10,000 square metres, if gifting of 10% of the area as open space is not possible, cash equivalent can be paid. The money thus collected is utilized to develop the landscaping in the city.
Since 1976, the Chennai Corporation has been collecting OSR charges and taking possession of land under the open space reservation rules. But so far it has not revealed what the total amount of land and cash collected. Data shows that since 2002, about 1.85 million square feet of land has been acquired.
The corporation maintains 260 public parks, 154 traffic islands, and 103 centre medians on major roads. Since the formation of the corporation until 1947, the corporation had maintained 18 public play fields. As of 2012, the corporation maintains 228 play fields, 234 gymnasiums, 4 shuttles indoor stadium, 1 basketball indoor stadium, and 2 swimming pools. Of the 228 play fields, about 14 have been designated as star play ground with facilities such as courts for football, tennis, volleyball, ball badminton, and basketball. The gymnasiums are used by about 50 to 100 people every day. Indoor shuttle courts are located in Mandaiveli
Mandaveli (also known as Mandavelli or Mandavelipakkam) is a neighborhood in Chennai, India. It is also termed usually as Mandavelipakkam which in the Tamil language "Mandhai" is 'herd of cattle' and "Veli" is 'grassland'.
Location
Mandaveli is ...
, R. R. Colony in Jafferkhanpet
Jafferkhanpet is a locality of Chennai, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy ...
, Karpagam Avenue in Mylapore
Mylapore, also spelt Mayilapur, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the cel ...
, and Nungambakkam
Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai, India. The neighborhood abounds with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, educational institutions, shopping malls, sporting facilities, to ...
. A basketball indoor stadium is located in Kilpauk Gardens. Swimming pools are located in Marina Beach and My Lady's Park. Skating rinks are located in Anna Nagar
Anna Nagar (formerly known as Naduvakkarai), is a neighbourhood in the metropolitan city of Chennai, India. Named after former chief minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai, it is located in the north-western part of Chennai and forms a part of ...
, Shenoy Nagar
Shenoy Nagar is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India and is a part of the Greater Anna Nagar Region. It is surrounded by Anna Nagar East in the North also Kilpauk in the North and East, Chetpet in its very rare South-East end, Aminjikarai in the ...
, Nungambakkam, Marina Beach, K. K. Nagar and T. Nagar
Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the Ea ...
. The corporation also maintains beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
es within the city.
There are about 13,787 lights installed and maintained in the park and play fields by the corporation.
Education
There are 322 schools run by the corporation, with a total student count of 130,000. As per 2012–2013 corporation budget, 30 new English medium primary and middle schools will be started. The civic body has also planned to construct 64 additional buildings on existing school campuses that require more classrooms. In addition, libraries and a career guidance centre would be set up in all corporation high and higher secondary schools.
Health
The corporation maintains 75 dispensaries, 36 malaria clinics, 42 tuberculosis microscopic centres, and 1 centre each for communicable diseases, NGO-run malaria clinic, filaria clinic, and filaria lymphodema management clinic. The corporation maintains three slaughterhouses in Perambur
Perambur is a neighbourhood located in the northern region of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Etymology
In Tamil, ''pirambu (பிரம்பு)'' means bamboo and ''ur (ஊர்)'' means city or place. Before British rule, this place was wid ...
, Villivakkam
Villivakkam is a neighbourhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is served by the Villivakkam railway station on the Chennai Central–Arakkonam suburban section. Villivakkam is the largest state assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu in terms of ...
, and Saidapet
Saidapet, also known as Saidai, is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India, situated in the northern banks of the Adyar River and serves as an entry point to Central Chennai. It is surrounded by West Mambalam in the North, C.I.T Nagar in the North- ...
, where an average of 1,500 sheep and 150 cattle are slaughtered every day. As per 2012–2013 corporation budget, 11 new dental clinics will be set up in addition to the existing ones to ensure that every zone has a clinic. A new hospital will be set up with a specialised leprosy centre and Mandambakkam to benefit the residents of South Chennai. In 2007, it was reported that mosquitoes were the biggest menace in the city. In 2012, the corporation announced that it was planning to breed sterile male mosquitoes to bring down the population of female mosquitoes.
The corporation maintains electric furnace units at the burial grounds at Villivakkam, Nungambakkam, GKM colony, and Arumbakkam. It also maintains gassifier furnace units at Moolakothalam, Kannammapet, Besant Nagar Mylapore, Kasimedu, Vyasarpadi, Otteri, Thangal, Velangadu, Krishnampet, Saidapet, and Besant Nagar burial grounds.
Solid waste management
Headed by a Superintendent Engineer, the corporation is responsible for removal of solid waste within city limits. Every day, 4,500 metric tons of garbage is collected and removed from the city. Night conservancy is being carried out in all important roads and commercial areas of the city. In addition, door-to-door collection of garbage is followed in all zones in the city. The waste is transported by 966 conservancy vehicles. The corporation maintains dumping grounds at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi for dumping solid waste.
Chennai is hit by shortage of sanitary workers. To counter this, the corporation is to appoint 4,000 sanitary inspectors, junior engineers and assistant executive engineers in 2012.
Garbage in most zones was previously handled by JBM Fanalca Environment Management, a private company, and by the Chennai Corporation in the other zones. Solid waste management in several parts of the city was subsequently handed over to ''Chennai Municipal Solid Waste Pvt. Ltd'' a special purpose vehicle
A special-purpose entity (SPE; or, in Europe and India, special-purpose vehicle/SPV; or, in some cases in each EU jurisdiction, FVC, financial vehicle corporation) is a legal entity (usually a limited company of some type or, sometimes, a limited ...
run by the Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
-based Ramky Group for a period of seven years starting January 2012; elsewhere, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited is described as a private company. The company is reportedly running at a loss and the corporation was alleged to have paid only 32.5 million of the 65 million bill. The company handles the three zones of Kodambakkam
Kodambakkam (also known as K-Town or Kollywood) is a business and residential neighbourhood in Central Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The neighbourhood is served by Kodambakkam railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. Kodambakkam h ...
, Teynampet
Teynampet, also Teynampettai, is one of the busiest commercial localities in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Part of the city's central business district, it is surrounded by Gopalapuram in the north, Mylapore in the east, Alwarpet in t ...
, and Adyar, also runs a toll-free telephone number
A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number from a landline is free of charge. A toll-free number is identified by a dialing prefi ...
to answer queries relating to waste management. The company also performed street plays to spread awareness on keeping the city clean. The Corporation later decided to take penal action against the private agency for not keeping up its end of the deal. In September, a show cause notice
An order to show cause is a type of court order that requires one or more of the parties to a case to justify, explain, or prove something to the court. Courts commonly use orders to show cause when the judge needs more information before decidi ...
for termination of the contract was served, which was further upheld by the Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...
.
In other zones, the Corporation looks after the removal and processing of solid waste in the others, with a superintendent engineer managing the channels. As of 2011, 8 transfer stations exist within the city for treating the waste. Garbage is dumped in two dump-yards in the city—One in Kodungaiyur
Kodungaiyur is a residential neighbourhood in the northern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It comes under Perambur Taluk of the Chennai District.
Location and surroundings
Kodungaiyur covers a vast area bordering Manali to th ...
and another in Perungudi
Perungudi is a neighbourhood of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated about south of Adyar. It is bordered on two sides by the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Perungudi lake. It is situated on the Old Mahabalipuram IT Expre ...
, with a major portion of the latter covering the Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai is a neighborhood and a residential area in south Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located in proximity to the IT industry in Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai's central business districts and the automobile hub in GST road has attracted m ...
marshland. In market areas, the conservancy work is done during the night. Water supply and sewage treatment are handled by the Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board, popularly referred to as ''Metro Water''. Electricity is supplied by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. Fire services are handled by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Service. The city, along with the suburbs, has 33 operating fire stations.
Telecommunication
The city's telephone service is provided by three landline companies: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to:
* Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages
** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent (or South Asia)
* Bharata, the name of several legendary figures or groups:
** Bha ...
(BSNL), Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, doing business as Jio, is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It operates a national LTE network with coverage across all 2 ...
and Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited, commonly known as (d/b/a) Airtel, is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company based in New Delhi. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. Currently, ...
. There are four mobile phone companies: BSNL, Vodafone Idea
Vodafone Idea (or Vi, and/but stylised as ''V!'') is an Indian telecom operator with its headquarters based in Mumbai and Gandhinagar. It is a pan-India integrated GSM operator offering 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G+, VoLTE, and VoWiFi service. As of 31 ...
, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, doing business as Jio, is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It operates a national LTE network with coverage across all 2 ...
, which offers GSM services
GSM services are a standard collection of applications and features available over the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) to mobile phone subscribers all over the world. The GSM standards are defined by the 3GPP collaboration and imp ...
. Broadband Internet access is provided by BSNL, Hathway
Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd, formerly BITV Cable Networks, is an Indian cable television service operator based in Mumbai. It was the first company to provide Internet using the CATV network in India, and the first cable operator to launch a ...
, Bharti Airtel, You Broadband, Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, doing business as Jio, is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It operates a national LTE network with coverage across all 2 ...
and ACT Broadband
Atria Convergence Technologies Limited, branded as ACT, is an Indian telecommunications company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. ACT offers fibre to the home (FTTH) services under the brand name "ACT Fibernet" and digital televisi ...
.
Waste management
The city generates 4,500 tonnes of garbage every day. The city has three dumpyards, one each at Perungudi
Perungudi is a neighbourhood of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated about south of Adyar. It is bordered on two sides by the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Perungudi lake. It is situated on the Old Mahabalipuram IT Expre ...
, Kodungaiyur
Kodungaiyur is a residential neighbourhood in the northern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It comes under Perambur Taluk of the Chennai District.
Location and surroundings
Kodungaiyur covers a vast area bordering Manali to th ...
, and Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai is a neighborhood and a residential area in south Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located in proximity to the IT industry in Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai's central business districts and the automobile hub in GST road has attracted m ...
. The corporation has planned to close these yards and create four new dumpyards at Malaipattu, Minjur
Minjur is a town located in the outskirts of North Chennai, India. It is located in the Thiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Minjur is called 'Vada Kanchi' meaning North Kanchipuram. The town has two famous temples for Shiva ...
, Vallur
Vallur is a village in Tangutur Mandal of Prakasham district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.It is located towards south from District headquarters ongole. from Tangutur. There is a famous Valluramma Temple lies on the bank of the lake. I ...
, and Kuthambakkam villages, ranging in size from 20 acres to 100 acres. According to studies by the civic body, green waste and wood account for 39 percent of the city's garbage and food waste
Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...
around 8 percent. The civic body also spends a year on solid waste management. The corporation is planning to create a 200-acre park at the 269-acre Kodungaiyur dump yard and a 150-acre park at the 200-acre Perungudi dumpsite.
Water
Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
rains to replenish water reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
s, as no major rivers flow through the area. Steadily growing in population, the city has faced water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...
shortages
In economics, a shortage or excess demand is a situation in which the demand for a product or service exceeds its supply in a market. It is the opposite of an excess supply (surplus).
Definitions
In a perfect market (one that matches ...
, and its ground water levels have been depleted. Many residents buy water for drinking as well as other daily uses. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources. In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir w ...
(RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar
Anna Nagar (formerly known as Naduvakkarai), is a neighbourhood in the metropolitan city of Chennai, India. Named after former chief minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai, it is located in the north-western part of Chennai and forms a part of ...
Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages. The Metrowater methods have become a model of RWH technology for other cities. Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project
The Telugu Ganga project is a joint water supply scheme implemented in 1980s by the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.T.Ramarao and Tamilnadu Chief minister M. G. Ramachandran to provide drinking water to Chennai city in Tamil Nadu. It is als ...
that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
have eased water shortages. The city is constructing sea water desalination
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in Soil salinity control, soil desalination, which is an issue f ...
plants to further increase the water supply.
The city's water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the Chennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Board
Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, known shortly as CMWSSB, is a statutory board of Government of Tamil Nadu which provides water supply and sewage treatment to the city of Chennai and areas around it.
Chennai is one of the ...
. Water is drawn from Red Hills Lake
Pulhal aeri, or Pulhal lake, sometimes spelled Puzhal lake, also known as the Red Hills Lake, is located in Red Hills, Chennai, India. It lies in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu state. It is one of the two rain-fed reservoirs from where wa ...
and Chembarambakkam Lake
Chembarambakkam lake is a lake located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, about 25 km from Chennai. It is one of the two rain-fed reservoirs from where water is drawn for supply to Chennai City, the other one being the Puzhal Lake. The Adyar ...
, the primary water reservoirs of the city, and treated at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam and supplied to the city through 27 water distribution stations. The city receives 530 million litres per day (MLD) of water from Krishna River through Telugu Ganga project
The Telugu Ganga project is a joint water supply scheme implemented in 1980s by the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.T.Ramarao and Tamilnadu Chief minister M. G. Ramachandran to provide drinking water to Chennai city in Tamil Nadu. It is als ...
, 180 MLD of water from the Veeranam
Veeranam Lake (Veeranarayanapuram Lake) is located SSW in Cuddalore district in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India 1 km (0.62 mi) from Kattumannarkoil. It is located from Chennai, India. It is one of the water reservoirs from where wate ...
lake project and 100 MLD of water from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's largest sea water desalination
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in Soil salinity control, soil desalination, which is an issue f ...
plant. However, Chennai is predicted to face a huge deficit of 713 MLD in 2026 as the demand is projected at 2,248 MLD and supply estimated at only 1,535 MLD. There are 714 public toilets in the city managed by the city corporation, and 2,000 more has been planned by the corporation. The corporation also owns 52 community halls across the city.
Awards
In December 2014, the Confederation of Indian Industry
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in New Delhi, India, founded in 1895.
CII engages business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global ...
(CII) adjudged the Chennai Corporation as the best among all the government departments in terms of e-governance.
Gallery
File:Chennai corp.jpg, Entrance View
File:Ripon Building Chennai.JPG, Alternate View
File:Ripon building, Chennai 2.jpg, Ripon Building under the Dark Clouds
File:Ripon Building panorama.jpg, Complete Front Façade of the Building
File:Ripon building (12232197345).jpg, Ripon Building at 1990
File:Ripon Building panorama 2.jpg, Ripon Building Panoramic View
See also
* Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
* List of Chennai Corporation wards
The city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India, is managed by the Corporation of Chennai. Established as Madras Corporation in 1688, it is the oldest municipal body in India. It is headed by a mayor, who presides over 200 councillors each of whom rep ...
* List of mayors of Chennai
The city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India is administered by the Corporation of Chennai headed by a Mayor. The Mayor is the first citizen of the city. The person is the chief of the Chennai Municipal Corporation. The Chennai Municipal Corporation ...
References
External links
Official website
The Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919
{{Authority control
Municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu
Government of Chennai
1688 establishments in India