COIMBATORE: The State Government released a government order (G.O.) on November 2 increasing the powers of corporation commissioners and mayors across the State, barring the Greater Chennai Corporation. The responsibility of the commissioner for projects proposed through the G.O. has also been fixed.
The G.O. also states that the mayor should approve the projects in consultation with the commissioner, whereas standing committees of the council must approve only with the concurrence of the commissioner.
According to the G.O., the mayor is now eligible to provide Administrative Sanction (AS) for civil works up to an estimated cost of Rs 50 lakh, which was Rs 20 lakh earlier and the commissioner can provide upto Rs 30 lakh AS for projects as compared with Rs 10 lakh for the same before.
Sources said necessary measures will be taken to complete the projects as soon as possible by taking approval from the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration (CMA) and the State government for smaller projects. The G.O. also mentions that the project cost will escalate, leading to a revision in the estimate and time overrun if the AS is delayed.
While the ward committees can now approve projects worth up to Rs 10 lakh, hiked from Rs 5 lakh, the approval limits of the standing committee have been decreased from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. However, the limits permitted for the council remain the same as it can provide AS for projects costing up to Rs 10 crore.