Chennai Corporation
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Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is a local government for the City of
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
in the Chennai Metropolitan Area of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, India. Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a
royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
issued by King James II of England on 30 December 1687 as the Corporation of Madras, it is the oldest municipal body of the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
outside
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. It is the largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu with an area of 426 km2. It is headed by a
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
, who presides over 200
councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
s, each of whom represents one of the 200 wards of the city. It is the second oldest corporation in the world after the
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
. The city limits, which had been expanded several times over the years, is currently coterminous with the
Chennai district Chennai District, formerly known as Madras district, is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the smallest and the most densely populated district in the state. The district is almost coterminous with the city of C ...
. It is one of the four municipal corporations located within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, the other three being the Tambaram Corporation, Avadi City Municipal Corporation and Kanchipuram Municipal Corporation.


History

The Madras Corporation is the oldest
municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...
body of the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
outside the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It was formed in 1688 to control the powers of the Governor of Madras,
Elihu Yale Elihu Yale (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) was a British Americans, British-American Colonialism, colonial administrator. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Yale lived in America only as a child, and spent the rest of his life in England, Wales, a ...
. The corporation was created by a royal charter issued on 30 December 1687 by King James II on the advice of the chairman of the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
,
Josiah Child Sir Josiah Child, 1st Baronet, (c. 1630/31 – 22 June 1699) was an English economist, merchant and politician. He was an economist proponent of mercantilism and governor of the British East India Company, East India Company. He led the compa ...
, on the model of Dutch government in the East Indies. The charter constituted the existing town of Fort St. George and all the territories belonging to the town, not exceeding a distance of ten miles from the fort, into a corporation. An act of Parliament of 1792 conferred the new corporation power to levy municipal taxes in the city. The municipal administration also commenced from this act, making provision for the administration of the city. The Municipal Act continued to be amended, constantly introducing major changes in the constitution and powers of the corporation from time to time. Prior to the establishments of the corporation, the Governor of Madras or the company's agent managed the affairs of the Fort St George and its residents with the assistance of a headman, an accountant, and the head of watch and ward. The governor sat as Madras's Justice of the Peace. Taxes were introduced by Governor Streynsham Master (1678–1681). Complications arising out of these impositions and the growing expenses of an expanding town led to Sir Josiah drawing up plans for a more formal body of civic administration. The corporation was inaugurated on 29 September 1688 with power to decide on petty cases, levy rates upon the inhabitants for building of schools, a town hall and a jail, when the new mayor, 12 aldermen and 60 burgesses took their oaths. The first members of the corporation were representatives from diverse ethnicities. Nathaniel Higginson was the first Mayor, and he appointed representatives from the English, Scottish, French, Portuguese, and Indian mercantile communities as aldermen. The post of the mayor was held for one year at a time, the mayor being elected by the aldermen, whose term of office was for life. By 1856, the duties of the corporation became more clearly defined. In 1919, the aldermen were re-styled as 'councillors'. The title of 'mayor' had been replaced by 'president', and P. Theagaraya Chetty was nominated as president, the first Indian to be so chosen. However, the office of Mayor was re-created in 1933, when Kumararajah M. A. Muthiah Chettiar made the transition from last president to first new mayor. The mayoralty has remained thereafter. By 1901, the corporation had grown to encompass an area of 68 sq km comprising 30 territorial divisions with a population of 540,000. In 1913, the corporation moved to the newly constructed Ripon Building, which was built on parts of the People's Park. The building was named after Lord Ripon who, as
Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...
from 1880 to 1884, had introduced local government reforms. He is remembered in a statue in the Corporation precincts. The first native Indian to both govern the
Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...
and later serve as Mayor of erstwhile
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
was the Honourable
K. Sriramulu Naidu Kamalumpundi Sriramulu Naidu was a leader in the Justice Party, contemporary of Periyar and the first Mayor of Madras in the 1930s and 1940s, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He belonged to the Velama caste. His father was the chi ...
, who served during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1978, the boundaries of the area administered by the corporation was increased to 174 sq km. The Madras Municipal Corporation Act, 1919 (as amended) provides the basic statutory authority for the administration now.


Zone


Expansion

In October 2011, the expansion process was initiated before the elections to the corporation council in October. In this, 42 small local bodies, including 9 municipalities, 8 town panchayats and 25 village panchayats, were merged with Chennai Corporation, taking the area up by 140% to 426 km2 from the earlier 176 km2. Some areas have been arbitrarily left out, to the discontent of the residents of those areas. The new expanded Corporation of Chennai has 200 wards, an increase of 45 wards. Elections were held for the expanded corporation in October 2011. The erstwhile municipalities that became a part of expanded
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
Corporation are Kathivakkam, Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram,
Ambattur Ambattur is a northwestern part of Chennai, India. It is located in Ambattur taluk of the Chennai District, surrounded by Avadi, Anna Nagar, Korattur, Padi, Mogappair, Kallikuppam, Surapet, Ayappakkam, Athipet and Thiruverkadu. It c ...
, Maduravoyal, Valasaravakkam, Alandur and UllagaramPuzhuthivakkam. The erstwhile town panchayats that became a part of expanded Chennai Corporation are Chinnasekkadu, Puzhal,
Porur Porur () is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is situated in the Maduravoyal taluk of Chennai district in the southern part of the city. Since 2011, it has been a part of the Chennai Corporation and included in zone number 11. The earli ...
,
Nandambakkam Nandambakkam () is a western neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is known for the Chennai Trade Centre and the Surgical Instruments Factory. In 2011 Nandambakkam was included to Chennai district by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Geography Nan ...
, Meenambakkam, Perungudi, Pallikaranai and
Sholinganallur Sholinganallur, also spelled Solinganalloor or Sozhinganalloor, is a southern suburb of Chennai, India. Etymology The etymology given by Tamil scholars is "Chola" + "Angam" + "Nallur", which indicates that Sholinganallur was once part of a Ch ...
. The erstwhile panchayat unions that became a part of expanded Chennai Corporation are Edayanchavadi,
Sadayankuppam Sadayankuppam is a residential/industrial area in northern part of Chennai, a metropolitan city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is the largest ward in Greater Chennai Corporation in terms of area. Surroundings References External linksCorporation of ...
, Kadapakkam, Theeyampakkam, Mathur, Vadaperumbakkam, Surapet, Kathirvedu, Puthagaram, Nolambur, Karambakkam, Nerkundram, Ramapuram, Mugalivakkam, Manapakkam, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai,
Injambakkam Injambakkam is a locality in the south of Chennai in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. Being a part of the Walajabad block of the district, its Panchayati raj in India, panchayat is part of Walajabad panchayat un ...
,
Karapakkam Karapakkam is an area of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India. The Postal PIN Code is 600097. It is one of the stops on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, or commonly referred to as OMR. It is situated between the IT Hubs of Thoraipakkam and Sholinganal ...
, Okkiam Thoraipakkam, Madipakkam, Jalladiampet, Semmanchery and Uthandi.


Administration

From among themselves, the councillors elect the mayor and a deputy mayor who preside over about 10 standing committees. The council normally meets once a month. The executive wing is headed by the Commissioner. In addition, there are deputy commissioners, various heads of departments and 15 zonal officers. The first native Indian to govern the
Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...
as well as serve later as the first Mayor post-independence of erstwhile
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
was
L. Sriramulu Naidu Kamalumpundi Sriramulu Naidu was a leader in the Justice Party (India), Justice Party, contemporary of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Periyar and the first Mayor of Madras in the 1930s and 1940s, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He belonge ...
. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, houses the state
executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...
and
legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...
headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings on the Fort St George campus but also in several other buildings in the city. The
Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...
, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is the highest
judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
authority in the state. The district of Chennai has four
parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
constituencies— Chennai North, Chennai Central, Chennai South and Sriperumbudur, which elects 29 members of the legislative assembly ( MLAs) to the state legislature. The metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of
Chengalpattu Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput or Chengalpet, is a town and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district a ...
,
Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...
and
Thiruvallur Tiruvallur is a Grade I municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of Coovum river about from downtown Chennai ( Madras) in the western part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). It is a satellite tow ...
districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats. While the city covers an area of , the metropolitan area is spread over . The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority ( CMDA) has drafted a Second Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. Contiguous satellite towns include
Mahabalipuram Mamallapuram (also known as Mahabalipuram), is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of ...
to the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar to the southwest, and Kanchipuram, Sriperumpudur,
Tiruvallur Tiruvallur is a Grade I municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of Coovum river about from downtown Chennai ( Madras) in the western part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). It is a satellite tow ...
and
Arakkonam Arakkonam () is a railway town in the Ranipet district, state of Tamil Nadu. Included within the Chennai metropolitan area, Chennai Metropolitan Area since 2022, Arakkonam is a major suburb of the state capital city Chennai, with a population ...
to the west.


Administrative divisions

The city is classified into three regions: North Chennai, Central Chennai and South Chennai. It is further divided into 15 zones, consisting of 200 wards. The newly annexed areas were divided into 93 wards, and the remaining 107 wards were created out of the original 155 within the old city limits. , the new wards are yet to be named. Out of the 200 wards, 26 were reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and 58 were reserved for women. The 15 Zones are:


Revenue Blocks

1. Ambattur Taluk * Ambattur Firka: Athipattu, Kakkapallam, Mannur, Mugapair, Padi * Korattur Firka: Korattur, Menambedu, Oragadam, Pattravakkam 2. Aminjikarai Taluk * Aminjikarai Firka: Aminjikarai, Arumbakkam, Vada Agaram * Anna Nagar Firka: Chinnakudal, Naduvankarai, Periyakudal, Thirumangalam * Koyembedu Firka: Koyambedu, Sencheri * Villivakkam Firka: Mullam, Villivakkam 3. Ayanavaram Taluk * Ayanavaram Firka: Ayanavaram (Part 1), * Konnur Firka: Ayanavaram (Part 2), Konnur, Mallikaicheri * Pervallur Firka: Chinna Sembarambakkam 4. Kolathur Taluk * Kolathur Firka: Kolathur * Peruvallur Firka: Peruvallur, Siruvallur 5. Egmore Taluk * Egmore (Egmore South) Firka: Egmore (Part 2) * Kilpauk (Egmore North) Firka: Egmore (Part 1) * Nungambakkam Firka: Nungambakkam * Vadapalani Firka: Puliyur 6. Maduravoyal Taluk * Maduravoyal Firka: Chettiaragaram, Maduravoyal, Nolambur, Sivapoodam, Thundalam, Vanagaram * Porur Firka: Karambakkam, Nerkundram, Porur, Ramapuram, Valasaravakkam, Adayalampattu 7. Mambalam Taluk * Ashok Nagar Firka: Kodambakkam (Part 2) * Mambalam Firka: Mambalam, Saidapet * Saligramam Firka: Kodambakkam (Part 1), Saligramam * Virugambakkam Firka: Nesappakkam, Virugambakkam 8. Madhavaram Taluk * Madhavaram Firka: Kadirvedu, Kosapur, Madhavaram, Manjambakkam, Mathur, Puthagaram, Soorapattu * Puzhal Firka: Chettimedu, Puzhal, Vadaperumbakkam, Vilakkupattu 9. Perambur Taluk * Erukkencheri Firka: Erukanchery, Perambur (Part 1) * Kondungaiyur Firka: Jambuli, Kondungaiyur, Selvoyil * Perambur Firka: Perambur (Part 3) * Sembium Firka: Perambur (Part 2), Sembium 10. Purasawalkam Taluk * Otteri/Purasawalkam Firka: Purasawalkam (Part 1) * Purasawalkam East Firka: Purasawalkam (Part 2) * V.O.C Nagar Firka: V.O.C Nagar * Vepery Firka: Vepery 11. Thiruvottiyur Taluk: * Manali Firka: Ariyalur, Chinnasekkadu, Edayanchavadi, Elanthanjeri, Kadapakkam, Manali, Sadayankuppam, Sathangadu * Thiruvottiyur Firka: Edayanchavadi, Ernavoor, Kathivakkam, Thiruvottiyur 12. Tondiarpet Taluk * Korrukupet Firka: Tondiarpet (Part 1) * Old Washermanpet Firka: Tondiarpet (Part 3) * Royapuram Firka: Tondiarpet (Part 4) * Tondiarpet Firka: Tondiarpet (Part 2) 13. Alandur Taluk * Alandur Firka: Adambakkam, Madhananthapuram, Manappakkam, Meenambakkam, Mukalivakkam, Nandambakkam, Nanganallur, Palavanthangal, Thalakanaacheri 14. Guindy Taluk * Adyar Firka: Adayar (Part 2), Govt.Farm, Guindy Park, Venkatapuram * Ekkatuthangal Firka: Adayar, Ekkatuthangal, Alandur * Kottur Firka: Kottur * Thyagaraya Nagar Firka: T.Nagar 15. Mylapore Taluk * Chintadripet Firka: Chintadripet, Triplicane (Part 1) * Mylapore (South) Firka: Mylapore (Part 2) * Royapettah (Mylapore) Firka: Mylapore (Part 1) * Triplicane Firka: Triplicane (Part 2) 16. Sholinganallur Taluk * Pallikarani Firka: Karapakkam, Madipakkam, Madipakkam-B (for Disaster and Revenue only; administration is under Kovilambakkam rural village panchayat with the colloquial name sunnambu kolathur) , Okkiyam Thoraibakkam, Pallikaranai, Perungudi, Seevaram, Ullagaram * Sholinganallur Firka: Chemmancheri, Cholinganallur-1, Chozhinganallur-2, Enchambakkam, Jaladampettai, Kottivakkam, Neelangarai, Palavaakkam, Utthandi 17. Velachery Taluk * Besant Nagar Firka: Kalikundram, Pallipattu, Urur * Tharamani Firka: Kaanagam, Velacheri (Part 2) * Thiruvanmiyur Firka: Thiruvanmiyur * Velacherry Firka: Velacheri (Part 1)


Departments

The corporation has the following departments:


Elections

The seats of the
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
,
Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...
and the Greater Chennai Corporation Council have been vacant since 2016. As part of the 2022 Tamil Nadu urban civic body elections, the Greater Chennai Corporation went to polling on 19 February 2022, alongside 20 other municipal corporations of Tamil Nadu, to elect 200 councillors to represent the city's 200 wards; the councillors will choose one amongst themselves as the
Mayor of Chennai The city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India is administered by the Corporation of Chennai headed by a Mayor. The Mayor is the first citizen of the city. The person is the chief of the Chennai Municipal Corporation. The Chennai Municipal Corporation ...
, a historically significant, coveted office. The
Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...
had announced that the Mayor's seat has been reserved for a Scheduled Caste woman this time. The election results were announced on 22 February 2022 by the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission. The
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; ; DMK) is an Indian political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it is currently the ruling party, and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry, where it is currently the main ...
(DMK) won 153 out of the total 200 wards in Chennai, with the other parties in its
Secular Progressive Alliance Secular Progressive Alliance formerly known as Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) is an alliance of Indian political parties formed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). History The alliance was known as the ''Democratic Progressive All ...
winning 25 more seats—13 for
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
, four for Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M), four for
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (; VCK), formerly known as the Dalit Panthers of India or the Dalit Panthers Iyyakkam (; DPI), is an Indian social movement and political party that seeks to combat caste based discrimination, active in the state ...
(VCK), two for
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; MDMK) is a political party active in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was established by Vaiko in 1994 after he left the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The headquarters of the party is called Thayag ...
(MDMK), one each for
Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...
(CPI) and
Indian Union Muslim League Indian Union Muslim League (abbreviated as the IUML or Muslim League) is a political party primarily based in Kerala. It is recognised as a List of political parties in India, State Party in Kerala by the Election Commission of India. After the ...
(IUML). The
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK, also abbreviated as ADMK), also shortened to Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, is an Indian Regionalism (politics), regional political party with great influence in the Federated state, sta ...
(AIADMK) won 15 seats. The
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
(BJP), the ruling party of the
Union Government of India The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territo ...
, won one seat. The Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK) also won a seat. Aside parties, five independent candidates won in their respective wards. The councillors formally elected the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor on 4 March 2022. Having secured an
absolute majority A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the " Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a set consisting of more than half of the set's elements. For example, if a gr ...
, the DMK's mayoral candidate
Priya Rajan Priya Rajan (born 20 November 1993) is the forty-ninth and the incumbent mayor of Chennai city, Tamil Nadu. She is a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and was elected on 4 March 2022 after the 2022 Tamil Nadu local elections. She ...
became the 46th Mayor of Chennai, unopposed. She is the youngest mayor in Chennai's history (aged 28), and the first
Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...
woman to hold the office.


Emblem

During the British period the Madras Corporation flag had the 'sea, boat, 3 lions and 2 fish'. The 3 lions represented the British and the sea, boat, and fish denoted the seashore of madras. After Independence, the need for changing the flag arose. M.P. Sivagnanam ( Ma. Po. Si.) who was heading the education wing of the corporation suggested the Pandiya, Chola, Chera's symbol 'Fish, Tiger and Bow' (which he already had in his 'Tamil arasu kazhagam's flag). Rajaji agreed with his suggestion.


Budget

As of 2020, the
city government A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
's budget is , out of which was earmarked for capital expenditure, is to be spent on the smart city project and a massive on laying bus routes, construction of new bridges and other methods of improve the transport infrastructure of the city.


Location and demography

Chennai Corporation area is located on the
Coromandel Coast The Coromandel Coast is a coastal region along the southeastern front of the Indian peninsula. Its delimitations are numerous, but generally admitted to be bounded by the Krishna River, Krishna river River mouth, mouth to the north, the Bay of B ...
in the central eastern coastal region of the
Deccan plateau The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura Range, Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound ...
and the northern end of the state of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. The city stretches along the coast covering about 43 km of sandy beach and extending about 19 km inland, encompassing an area of 426 sq km. The estimated population is about 7.1 million as of 2014.


Functions

The corporation maintains roads, streetlights, and flyovers across the city and also the city's cleanliness and hygiene levels. It maintains 1,160 roads measuring a total of 370 km and storm water drain measuring 962 km and has 213,045 streetlights. Power consumption by the streetlights amounts to 50 megawatts a day, costing 14,00,000. The corporation has 260 parks and maintains 113 community halls for public use. The corporation registers about 400 births and 180 deaths every day. The corporation also runs an abattoir. There are 23,538 staffs working in the corporation. In 2011–2012, 190 million was allotted by the Tamil Nadu government for the development of the city areas within corporation limits. In 2014, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) planned to change its 11-kilo volt transformers with 1,784 ring main units (RMUs) that are compact and safe.


Roads

The corporation maintains a total of 1,160
macadam Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam , in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the original mat ...
ised bus routes running to a total length of 353.94 km. The Total length of interior roads measures about 5,563.06 km. Total length of cement concrete roads maintained by the Corporation in the bus routes measures 3.68 km and the length of cement concrete interior roads measures 1,292.54 km. The newly expanded region of the corporation alone has 2,752 km of roads, along which there is a 682.4 km network of storm water drains. Street lamps in the city were introduced in 1785. Until the introduction of electric street lighting, the street lighting was done by oil lights. Till 1857, there were only 200 oil light lamps. By the year 1910, this was increased to 6,500. In 1910, electric street lighting was introduced. By 1924–1925, all the oil lights in the streets of the city were completely replaced by electric lights. The corporation also maintains 264 high-mast lights and 133 8-meter and 12-meter lamp posts with cluster lights at important junctions. The Corporation owns 22 hydraulic vehicles for attending maintenance work to streetlights. In 2012, the Corporation started installing 60,000 streetlights in the newly included zones, in addition to replacing about 88,000 old streetlights in these zones. Per the norm of the corporation, the minimum distance between two adjacent streetlights is 25 metre. As on 2012, the corporation maintains 262 bridges, road-overbridges and road-underbridges, including 65 high-level bridges, 31 box culverts, 81 slab culverts, 11 rail-overbridges, 14 rail-underbridges, 6 pedestrian subways, 6 causeways, 35 footbridges and 13 grade separators. In 2013, the corporation acquired a Road Measurement Data Acquisition System (ROMDAS) to check the quality of newly laid roads.


Parks and open green spaces

Chennai has one of the lowest per capita green space in the country. As of 2012, It has only about 0.46 square metres per city dweller. According to the development rules, when plots measuring more than 10,000 square metres are developed, 10% of the area must be reserved as open space and gifted to the local bodies, and in plots measuring between 3,000 and 10,000 square metres, if gifting of 10% of the area as open space is not possible, cash equivalent can be paid. The money thus collected is utilized to develop the landscaping in the city. Since 1976, the Chennai Corporation has been collecting OSR charges and taking possession of land under the open space reservation rules. But so far it has not revealed what the total amount of land and cash collected. Data shows that since 2002, about 1.85 million square feet of land has been acquired. The corporation maintains 260 public parks, 154 traffic islands, and 103 centre medians on major roads. Since the formation of the corporation until 1947, the corporation had maintained 18 public play fields. As of 2012, the corporation maintains 228 play fields, 234 gymnasiums, 4 shuttles indoor stadium, 1 basketball indoor stadium, and 2 swimming pools. Of the 228 play fields, about 14 have been designated as star play ground with facilities such as courts for football, tennis, volleyball, ball badminton, and basketball. The gymnasiums are used by about 50 to 100 people every day. Indoor shuttle courts are located in Mandaiveli, R. R. Colony in Jafferkhanpet, Karpagam Avenue in
Mylapore Mylapore (also spelt Mayilapur), or Thirumayilai, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil ...
, and
Nungambakkam Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai, India. The neighborhood abounds with multinational commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, educational institutions, shopping malls, sporting facilities, tou ...
. A basketball indoor stadium is located in Kilpauk Gardens. Swimming pools are located in Marina Beach and My Lady's Park. Skating rinks are located in Anna Nagar, Shenoy Nagar, Nungambakkam,
Marina Beach Marina Beach, or simply the Marina, is a natural urban beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Bay of Bengal. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of , making it the second longest ...
, K. K. Nagar and T. Nagar. The corporation also maintains
beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...
es within the city. There are about 13,787 lights installed and maintained in the park and play fields by the corporation.


Education

There are 322 schools run by the corporation, with a total student count of 130,000. As per 2012–2013 corporation budget, 30 new English medium primary and middle schools will be started. The civic body has also planned to construct 64 additional buildings on existing school campuses that require more classrooms. In addition, libraries and a career guidance centre would be set up in all corporation high and higher secondary schools.


Health

The corporation maintains 75 dispensaries, 36 malaria clinics, 42 tuberculosis microscopic centres, and 1 centre each for communicable diseases, NGO-run malaria clinic, filaria clinic, and filaria lymphodema management clinic. The corporation maintains three slaughterhouses in
Perambur Perambur is a neighbourhood located in the northern region of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Etymology In Tamil language, Tamil, ''pirambu (பிரம்பு)'' means bamboo, and ''oor (ஊர்)'' means city or place. Before British Raj, B ...
, Villivakkam, and
Saidapet Saidapet, also known as Saidai, is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India, situated in the northern banks of the Adyar River and serves as an entry point to Central Chennai. It is surrounded by West Mambalam in the North, C.I.T Nagar in the North-Ea ...
, where an average of 1,500 sheep and 150 cattle are slaughtered every day. As per 2012–2013 corporation budget, 11 new dental clinics will be set up in addition to the existing ones to ensure that every zone has a clinic. A new hospital will be set up with a specialised leprosy centre and Mandambakkam to benefit the residents of South Chennai. In 2007, it was reported that mosquitoes were the biggest menace in the city. In 2012, the corporation announced that it was planning to breed sterile male mosquitoes to bring down the population of female mosquitoes. The corporation maintains electric furnace units at the burial grounds at Villivakkam, Nungambakkam, GKM colony, and Arumbakkam. It also maintains gassifier furnace units at Moolakothalam, Kannammapet, Besant Nagar Mylapore, Kasimedu, Vyasarpadi, Otteri, Thangal, Velangadu, Krishnampet, Saidapet, and Besant Nagar burial grounds.


Solid waste management

Headed by a Superintendent Engineer, the corporation is responsible for removal of solid waste within city limits. Every day, 4,500 metric tons of garbage is collected and removed from the city. Night conservancy is being carried out in all important roads and commercial areas of the city. In addition, door-to-door collection of garbage is followed in all zones in the city. The waste is transported by 966 conservancy vehicles. The corporation maintains dumping grounds at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi for dumping solid waste. Chennai is hit by shortage of sanitary workers. To counter this, the corporation is to appoint 4,000 sanitary inspectors, junior engineers and assistant executive engineers in 2012. Garbage in most zones was previously handled by JBM Fanalca Environment Management, a private company, and by the Chennai Corporation in the other zones. Solid waste management in several parts of the city was subsequently handed over to ''Chennai Municipal Solid Waste Pvt. Ltd'' a
special purpose vehicle A special-purpose entity (SPE), also called a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) or a financial vehicle corporation (FVC), is a legal entity (usually a limited company of some type or, sometimes, a limited partnership) created to fulfill narrow, speci ...
run by the
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
-based Ramky Group for a period of seven years starting January 2012; elsewhere, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited is described as a private company. The company is reportedly running at a loss and the corporation was alleged to have paid only 32.5 million of the 65 million bill. The company handles the three zones of
Kodambakkam Kodambakkam (also known as K-Town or Kollywood) is a business and residential neighbourhood in Central Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The neighbourhood is served by Kodambakkam railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. Kodambakkam h ...
,
Teynampet Teynampet, also Teynampettai, is one of the busiest commercial localities in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Part of the city's central business district, it is surrounded by Gopalapuram, Chennai, Gopalapuram in the north, Mylapore in th ...
, and Adyar, also runs a
toll-free telephone number A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number is free of charge, unless air-charges apply for mobile telephone service. A toll-free ...
to answer queries relating to waste management. The company also performed street plays to spread awareness on keeping the city clean. The Corporation later decided to take penal action against the private agency for not keeping up its end of the deal. In September, a show cause notice for termination of the contract was served, which was further upheld by the
Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...
. In other zones, the Corporation looks after the removal and processing of solid waste in the others, with a superintendent engineer managing the channels. As of 2011, 8 transfer stations exist within the city for treating the waste. Garbage is dumped in two dump-yards in the city—One in Kodungaiyur and another in Perungudi, with a major portion of the latter covering the Pallikaranai marshland. In market areas, the conservancy work is done during the night. Water supply and sewage treatment are handled by the Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board, popularly referred to as ''Metro Water''. Electricity is supplied by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. Fire services are handled by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Service. The city, along with the suburbs, has 33 operating fire stations.


Police

The Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a
commissioner of police A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...
, and administrative control rests with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry. The department consists of 36 subdivisions with a total of 121 police stations, of which 15 are
ISO 9001 The ISO 9000 family is a set of international standards for quality management systems. It was developed in March 1987 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ensure that they meet ...
:2000 certified.* The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP). The Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, and outer district areas are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.


Telecommunication

The city's telephone service is provided by three landline companies:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (commonly known as BSNL) () is an Indian Public Sector Undertakings in India, central public sector undertaking, under the ownership of Department of Telecommunications, which is part of the Ministry of Communicatio ...
(BSNL), Reliance Jio and
Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational Telecommunications in India, telecommunications company based in New Delhi. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. ...
. There are four mobile phone companies: BSNL, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, which offers
GSM services GSM services are a standard collection of applications and features available over the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) to mobile phone subscribers all over the world. The GSM standards are defined by the 3GPP collaboration and imp ...
. Broadband Internet access is provided by BSNL,
Hathway Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd, formerly BITV Cable Networks, is an Indian cable television and broadband service provider based in Mumbai. It was the first company to provide Internet using the CATV network in India, and the first cable operat ...
, Bharti Airtel, You Broadband, Reliance Jio and ACT Broadband.


Waste management

The city generates 4,500 tonnes of garbage every day. The city has three dumpyards, one each at Perungudi, Kodungaiyur, and Pallikaranai. The corporation has planned to close these yards and create four new dumpyards at Malaipattu, Minjur, Vallur, and Kuthambakkam villages, ranging in size from 20 acres to 100 acres. According to studies by the civic body, green waste and wood account for 39 percent of the city's garbage and
food waste The causes of food going uneaten are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during food production, production, food processing, processing, Food distribution, distribution, Grocery store, retail and food service sales, and Social clas ...
around 8 percent. The civic body also spends a year on solid waste management. The corporation is planning to create a 200-acre park at the 269-acre Kodungaiyur dump yard and a 150-acre park at the 200-acre Perungudi dumpsite.


Water

Historically, Chennai has relied on annual
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
rains to replenish water
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
s, as no major rivers flow through the area. Steadily growing in population, the city has faced
water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...
shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. Many residents buy water for drinking as well as other daily uses. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources. In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and
rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a Rainwater tank, tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), Aquifer s ...
(RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages. The Metrowater methods have become a model of RWH technology for other cities. Moreover, newer projects like the
Telugu Ganga project The Telugu Ganga project is a joint water supply scheme implemented in India in 1980s by the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister M. G. Ramachandran, Maruthur Go ...
that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the
Krishna River The Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau is the third-longest in India, after the Ganga, Ganga and Godavari. It is also the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Indus and Godav ...
in
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
have eased water shortages. The city is constructing sea water
desalination Desalination is a process that removes mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination is the removal of salts and minerals from a substance. One example is Soil salinity control, soil desalination. This is important for agric ...
plants to further increase the water supply. The city's water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the Chennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Board. Water is drawn from Red Hills Lake and Chembarambakkam Lake, the primary water reservoirs of the city, and treated at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam and supplied to the city through 27 water distribution stations. The city receives 530 million litres per day (MLD) of water from
Krishna River The Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau is the third-longest in India, after the Ganga, Ganga and Godavari. It is also the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Indus and Godav ...
through
Telugu Ganga project The Telugu Ganga project is a joint water supply scheme implemented in India in 1980s by the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister M. G. Ramachandran, Maruthur Go ...
, 180 MLD of water from the Veeranam lake project and 100 MLD of water from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's largest sea water
desalination Desalination is a process that removes mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination is the removal of salts and minerals from a substance. One example is Soil salinity control, soil desalination. This is important for agric ...
plant. However, Chennai is predicted to face a huge deficit of 713 MLD in 2026 as the demand is projected at 2,248 MLD and supply estimated at only 1,535 MLD. There are 714 public toilets in the city managed by the city corporation, and 2,000 more has been planned by the corporation. The corporation also owns 52 community halls across the city.


Awards

In December 2014, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) adjudged the Chennai Corporation as the best among all the government departments in terms of e-governance.


Gallery

File:Chennai corp.jpg, Entrance view File:Ripon Building Chennai.JPG, Alternate view File:Ripon building, Chennai 2.jpg, Ripon Building under the Dark Clouds File:Ripon Building panorama.jpg, Complete front façade of the building File:Ripon building (12232197345).jpg, Ripon Building at 1990 File:Ripon Building panorama 2.jpg, Ripon Building panoramic view


See also

*
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
* List of Chennai Corporation wards * List of mayors of Chennai * Tambaram Corporation


References


External links


Official website

The Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919
{{Authority control Greater Chennai Corporation Municipal corporations in Chennai Metropolitan Area Municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu Government of Chennai 1688 establishments in India