CHENNAI: The Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department on Friday said Chief Minister MK Stalin has issued an order to increase the number of administrative zones in Greater Chennai Corporation from 15 to 20 to ensure equitable distribution of resources based on population and effective delivery of services.
A release said the increase is expected to streamline governance, improve essential services such as proper roads, streetlights, water supply, sewage management and solid waste disposal. Besides improving civic administration, the move will also strengthen the city’s investment climate and economic growth potential, it added.
However, it did not provide details regarding the new list of zones, their geographical boundaries, the number of wards in each zone and other such details.
GCC was expanded in 2011 by merging 42 local bodies, extending its geographical limits to 426 square kilometers.
While the population was at 66.72 lakh in 2011, it is estimated to be around 85 lakh now, resulting in uneven distribution of population among the 15 zones, especially with peripheral areas witnessing exponential growth.
Currently, the city is divided into 15 zones and 200 wards. There are 22 Assembly constituencies in GCC. The administrative zones not being coterminous with the Assembly constituencies have led to significant administrative challenges, the release said.
Officials have highlighted difficulties in service delivery, especially in densely populated areas, as a key reason for this division of zones.
The new division of 20 zones has been done based on various factors, including current population, voters list, list of roads and streets, their density and tax assessments. Minister KN Nehru in 2022 had announced in the Assembly about increasing the number of zones, the release recalled.