CHENNAI: Residents and social activists in Tambaram City Municipal Corporation have urged the state government to address administrative lapses and service deficiencies, including the absence of a dedicated website and persistent inefficiencies in tax administration.
In a representation to the state government, activist VS Jayaraman noted that four years after the civic body was constituted, it continues to depend on the legacy portal of the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration. Unlike the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), which provides detailed historical property tax records, the existing system allows users to view data only for the current financial year.
He also pointed to inconsistencies in tax administration. While the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board uses a unified assessment number, TCMC maintains separate numbers for property tax and water charges, causing confusion among residents.
Echoing similar concerns, V Santhanam, an octogenarian activist from Chromepet, said the online property tax payment system has been malfunctioning. “During my recent attempts, I received a message that the amount had been debited. However, it was not reflected in my account. The bank confirmed the issue is with the payment gateway,” he said.
Another activist, TN Ashokan, called for improved service delivery, suggesting that TCMC introduce incentives for early payment of water charges on the lines of property tax rebates and practices followed by CMWSSB. He also recommended transferring water supply responsibilities in their entirety to CMWSSB, as in Chennai.
Pointing out that a proposal to extend CMWSSB’s jurisdiction to Tambaram and Avadi corporations remains pending, he urged the next government to implement it in public interest.