Administration of Chennai

Districts and Taluks of the metropolitan area, which is now equivalent to the city limits (metro area has yet to be redefined)

The administration of Chennai can refer to either the administration of the City of Chennai or the administration of the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The city is administered by the Chennai Corporation, consisting of 200 councillors and headed by the city's mayor. The suburbs, which comprise the metropolitan region, are administered by local municipalities, town panchayats, or panchayat unions. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) plans development for the city as well as its suburbs.

Administration

Chennai city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai, consisting of 200 councillors who represent 200 wards and are directly elected by the city's residents. From among themselves, the councillors elect a mayor and a deputy mayor who preside over about 10 standing committees.^[3] The first native Indian to govern the Madras Presidency as well as serve later as the first Mayor post-independence of erstwhile Madras was L. Sriramulu Naidu. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, houses the state executive and legislative 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, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state. The district of Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies—Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South—and elects 18 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the state legislature.

The metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats. While the city covers an area of 174 km² (67 mi²),^[4] the metropolitan area is spread over 1,189 km² (458 mi²).^[5] 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 to the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar to the southwest, and Kanchipuram town, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.

The Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, 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 9001:2000 certified.^[6] The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP). The Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, and outer district areas are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.

Utilities

Ripon Building, which houses the Chennai Corporation, was completed 1913. It is named after former viceroy Lord Ripon.

The Corporation of Chennai and municipalities of the suburbs provide civic services. Garbage in most zones was previously handled by JBM Fanalca Environment Management, a private company, and by the Chennai Corporation in the other zones. Now, garbage collection in some of the wards is contracted to Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, a private company,^[7] while the Corporation looks after the removal and processing of solid waste in the others,^[8] with a superintendent engineer managing the channels. As of 2011, 8 transfer stations exist within the city for treating the waste.^[9] Garbage is dumped in two dump-yards in the city—One in Kodungaiyur and another in Perungudi, with a major portion of the latter covering the Pallikaranai marshland.^[10] In market areas, the conservancy work is done during the night.^[11] 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.^[12] Fire services are handled by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Service.^[13] The city, along with the suburbs, has 33 operating fire stations.^[14] The city's telephone service is provided by four landline companies: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Tata Indicom, Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel.^[15] There are six mobile phone companies: BSNL, Vodafone Essar, Bharti Airtel and Aircel, which offer GSM services, and Tata Indicom and Reliance Communications, which offer code division multiple access (CDMA) services.^[16] Broadband Internet access is provided by Sify, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Hathway, Bharti Airtel^[17] and Tata Indicom through cables or WiMAX.

Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. Steadily growing in population, the city has faced water supply shortages, 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.^[18] In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages. The Metrowater methods have become a model of RWH technology for other cities.^[19] Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh have eased water shortages. The city is constructing sea water desalination plants to further increase the water supply.^[20][21]

The city's water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the Chennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Board. Water is drawn from Red Hills Lake and Chembarambakkam Lake, the primary water reservoirs of the city,^[22] and treated at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam^[23] and supplied to the city through 27 water distribution stations.^[24] The city receives 530 mld of water from Krishna River through Telugu Ganga project, 180 mld of water from the Veeranam lake project^[23] and 100 mld of water from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's largest sea water desalination plant.^[25][26][27] However, Chennai is predicted to face a huge deficit of 713 million litres per day (MLD) in 2026 as the demand is projected at 2,248 MLD and supply estimated at only 1,535 MLD.^[28] There are 714 public toilets in the city managed by the city corporation,^[29] and 2,000 more has been planned by the corporation.^[30] The corporation also owns 52 community halls across the city.^[31]

Waste management

The city generates 4,500 tonnes of garbage every day. The city has three dumpyards, one each at Perungudi, Kodungaiyur, and Pallikaranai. The corporation has planned to close these yards and create four new dumpyards at Malaipattu, Minjur, Vallur, and Kuthambakkam villages, ranging in size from 20 acres to 100 acres.^[32][33] According to studies by the civic body, green waste and wood account for 39 percent of the city's garbage and food waste around 8 percent. The civic body also spends ₹4 billion (US$59 million) a year on solid waste management.^[34] 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.^[35]

See also

• List of Chennai Corporation wards

Notes

External links

• Official website