Mayor promises a cleaner Chennai

Chennai: The Chennai Corporation administration has committed itself to a number of steps aimed at making the city free of encroachments. Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy assured a meeting of the Corporation Council that the civic body would spare no effort in clearing the Marina Beach of encroachments and also crackdown on colleges in the extended areas of the Corporation that did not have the requisite planning permission of the CMDA.

The Mayor also urged the councillors to come up with suggestions on how to go about regulating banners, posters and stages for various political and religious events that are held across the city. Pointing out that he and the councillors themselves were politicians, Duraisamy underscored the need for regulation, stating that it would put an end to the damage caused to civic amenities.

“Those who erect flags, banners stages and pandals for political and religious functions often do so by digging poles on the roads. This causes a lot of damage to roads, pavements and other amenities that the Corporation has spent on. We already passed a resolution on November 23, 2011 to find a way to put an end to this,” Duraisamy said.

Besides asking all councillors to make submissions of methods to implement such regulations, the Mayor himself suggested steel-lined grooves for masts on roads at locations that usually saw such events. Introduction of security deposits to be paid by those who organised the functions was yet another suggestion. Suggestions by councillors would be taken up for discussion on a later date, he said.

Duraisamy also promised to look into complaints from councillors, especially those from newly-expanded areas of the Corporation, on educational institutions which had constructed buildings in violation of the planning permission from the CMDA. “Strong action will be taken to regularise these,” he added.

The Mayor also told the councillors that the stalls put up illegally at the Marina Beach over the years would be cleared and the need to rehabilitate the hawkers would be considered.