CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) adopted a resolution during its council meeting on Monday to replace the existing old street name boards with digital boards. The Rs 15.49 crore project will cover both bus routes and interior roads across all 15 zones in the city.
As per the resolution, around 8,340 outdated street name boards will be replaced by digital boards, enhancing visibility and accessibility to residents. The new digital boards will be installed with Rs 15 crore allocated for interior roads and Rs 44.87 lakh for the bus routes.
Contract for the project has been awarded to Hariway Line, the lowest bidder, following tendering process that opened in October, the resolution said. The new digital boards will feature both single and double arrow formats.
Neither GCC officials nor the contract firm were available when TNIE tried to reach them for a rundown on the features and how it could benefit the public.
The GCC has also announced road improvement projects across the city on an estimated cost of Rs 290 crore. The works will cover both interior and bus route roads across all 15 zones.
Since 2022, the corporation has been working on development of 13,401 roads in the city under the NSMT, SFC and TURIP schemes. In 2025-26, the GCC will focus on further road upgrades on 1,669 interior roads and 31 bus route roads.
The road improvement works will be funded through a combination of Rs 90 crore in capital funds from the GCC and Rs 200 crore in loans or grants. The civic body is also set to install concrete planters along various roads across zones 1 to 15 at an estimated cost of Rs 13.38 crore to make the streets greener.
Free tailoring, computer classes to be held in all zones
Chennai: GCC Mayor R Priya announced on Monday that the free computer and tailoring training programmes currently offered in Kolathur Assembly Constituency will be expanded to all zones across the city for women. During the council meeting, Ward 58 Councillor Rajeshwari Sridhar requested that these programmes be extended to other zones to benefit a wider group of women and provide them with job opportunities following which the decision to expand was taken.
Priya issued an official statement highlighting the chief minister’s initiatives in improving the livelihood of economically backward women in Kolathur. She mentioned that while these programmes were planned to be extended first in Port and Saidapet Assembly constituencies and it will now be extended to all zones in the city.
Major announcements
GCC hikes salary of kindergarten teaching and non-teaching staff from Rs 11,970 to Rs 14,150 and Rs 8,850 to Rs 10,450 respectively
Penalty of Rs 1 lakh per illegal internet pole; Rs 75,000 for poles exceeding permitted numbers and Rs 50,000 for disorderly installations
GCC to establish stables in Chepauk, Lighthouse and Besant Nagar to maintain horses used at beaches
Five more animal birth control centres to be set up in Zones 1, 4, 5, 8,
and 13
Allocations made for improvement, modernisation of burial grounds in Zones 2 to 11 and 13
GCC to collect Rs 25-Rs 30 from fish vendors at modern fish market in Chintadripet