CHENNAI: Focus on the basics with eyes set on better urban infrastructure seems to be the mantra of the municipal administration department of the one-year-old DMK government, with public facilities such as roads, toilets and sanitation getting a big share of the Rs 20,400.24 crore allocated to the department in 2022-23.
“There is a general notion that once DMK takes charge, the primary focus will be on big-ticket projects like bridges and flyovers. But, on the field, emphasis has been on improving access to toilets, preventing water stagnation, conversion of streetlights to LED lights, improving roads, and strengthening sewage infrastructure,” said a government official.
While the DMK revived its pet scheme for the capital, with Rs 1,000-crore allocation for Singara Chennai 2.0 over two years, Rs 1,000 crore was allocated under Kalaignar Nagarpura Membattu Thittam to fill infrastructure gaps in municipalities and town panchayats across the State.
Under the Swachh Bharath Mission 2.0, 2,337 seats of community toilets have been constructed apart from several public lavatories under the ‘Namakku Naame’ scheme. In Chennai Corporation, ‘aspirational’ toilet lounges’ have been proposed to be operated under a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) model at a cost of Rs 221 crore.
The department has also aimed to convert all crematoria in Tamil Nadu to LPG or electrical crematoria over the next few years. In the first phase, 50 crematoria have been identified for renovation across corporations and municipalities at a cost of Rs 75 crore. At least 400km of earthen roads will be converted to all-weather roads such as bitumen, concrete or paver block roads at a cost of Rs 300 crore.
“There is a much-needed focus on milling of roads across municipalities and corporations. Though it is not being done everywhere, this is a key aspect that must be monitored,” said Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of city-based anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam.
Chief Minister MK Stalin himself, along with corporation officials, had carried out late-night inspections to check if roads were being laid after proper milling in Chennai. However, there are still areas like solid waste management that require government’s attention, said activists. “We need to create infrastructure to handle 2,500MT of wet waste and this should be created in all municipalities and corporations if we want to reduce waste going to landfills,” said Jayaram.
To ensure an independent lifeline of funding for urban civic bodies and to improve basic infrastructure without being dependent on the State government, the department has revised property taxes that were not revised since 1998 in Chennai and 2008 in Tamil Nadu. Amid reports of corruption in tender processes before 2020, an end-to-end e-tender process was introduced in Chennai Corporation. This process, however, is yet to be extended to other municipalities and corporations.
Overview of 12 months