Property tax revision put on hold

Property owners in Chennai can continue to pay the old rates until further notification, as the Government has withheld the revision in property tax rates. It has also constituted a committee to examine representations from various quarters on the revised property tax rates.

The four-member committee comprises the Principal Secretary to Government, Finance (Expenditure) Department, as its Chairman; Commissioner of Municipal Administration as its Member/Convener; Director of Town Panchayats and Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation as members.

Source: The New Indian Express

Madras HC directs Corporation to remove vehicles on pavements

The Madras High Court has directed officials of Greater Chennai Corporation to remove the vehicles which are parked on city pavements without authorisation. Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash told the Madras High Court that  the city had the potential to develop on street facilities for parking a maximum of 1.5 lakh vehicles and off street parking for another 1.5 lakh vehicles at any given point of time.

Though there were around 54 lakh two-wheelers and 11.75 lakh four-wheelers in the city, in the current scenario, the city had the capacity to park only 12,000 vehicles on the street.

The submissions were made during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition filed, insisting upon proper maintenance of all pavements across the city without letting them being used as vehicle parking lots or getting encroached by shopkeepers and hawkers.

Source: The Hindu

30% of water samples fail quality test in the city 

One in every five water samples tested in the city had some bacterial contamination, while one in 10 had high levels of dissolved salt, so that 30% of the water samples failed the quality test. Chennai Corporation has been testing water samples collected from across the city since January, and till October over 7000 samples have been tested. Only last week, the Central Government report had put the city near bottom in a ranking of cities in terms of the potability of water.

Source: The Times of India

Villivakkam lake to become major attraction soon

If timelines are met, come March, Villivakkam lake will be all set to enthrall the neighbourhood. Bird islands, a water museum, a 250-m suspension bridge will be some of the major attractions. The eco-restoration work began in February 2018 in this lake spread across 39 acres. 50% of the desilting work is completed and the lake is expected to be thrown open as a public space by March 2020.

Source: The Times of India

Corporation to adopt new tech to build RWH structures

To ensure effective percolation of rainwater, the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to adopt German technology to build new rainwater harvesting structures across the city. Under the German method, rainwater harvesting structures – named Eco Bloc infiltration well – do not need steel reinforcements or cement.

Eco Bloc infiltration wells do not need high maintenance and are expected to last more than 50 years. Chennai Corporation has so far inspected around 2.96 lakh buildings in the city and identified 1.99 lakh existing rainwater harvesting structures.

Source: DTNext

[Compiled by Sandhya Raju]