1 week Ago
Chennai: City's administrative zones will be increased from the existing 15 to 20 only after the end of the GCC council's current tenure ends in 2027, said Chennai mayor R Priya . State govt's order for the increase, issued last month, has widely been welcomed by residents and city planners who say the city's existing civic issues, including manpower shortages and administrative inefficiencies, require urgent attention. When contacted, Priya told TOI: "The order has been passed to increase the number of zones in response to the growing population.
However, implementation will take place in 2027 after the current tenure ends. After the elections, steps will be taken to extend corporation limits, increasing the zones to 20." One of the key concerns raised by residents and local representatives is merger of certain zones.
Councillors from Manali zone (zone 2) have submitted petitions against merging with Tiruvottriyur and Madhavaram (zones 1 and 3 respectively). Asked about it, Priya said officials would take their grievances into account while issuing necessary orders. "Even if the implementation is scheduled for 2027, the proposed merger of Manali with Tiruvottriyur and Madhavaram will be inconvenient for the public to visit a distant zonal office.
There will be no change in administrative levels, so authorities should reconsider the plan and align zones with assembly constituencies," said T Umapathy, a resident of Tiruvottiyur. Meanwhile, residents of south Chennai, have raised concerns about existing civic challenges. They lament that infrastructure projects such as drinking water supply and underground sewage systems have not been fully implemented for about 13 years now.
Dinesh Thillaiyappan, a resident of Sholinganallur said, "Delays in the expansion of zones will only worsen the situation.".
