Suggestions sought from survey of North Chennai
The Rs 1000 crore Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam will see development of various key infrastructure in North Chennai. Neglected areas in the region will soon get model school, sports facilities, amenities such as walking paths and cycling tracks and sprucing up of existing public spaces such as parks and playfields.
The project will be carried out by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), Tamil Nadu Urban Habitate Development Board (TNUHDB) and Department of Town and Country Planning. Read estate firm CBRE has been roped in to conduct surveys and identify opportunities for growth.
The project will also see development of hospital, bus-stands, market and some blue-green infrastructure. Carrying out a survey will be the first step in the process.
Source: The New Indian Express
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Capacity of Cholavaram lake to be increased
The capacity of Cholavaram lake that is a crucial source of drinking water for Chennai is all set to go up. The lake currently has a holding capacity of 1.081 tmcft. The Water Resources Department plans to improve this by three-fold.
According to the plan of the WRD the lake’s capacity will be increased from 18.86 feet to 22 feet. The increase will be facilitated by expansion and desilting to be carried out in the lake.
A preliminary study has been commissioned for this purpose by the WRD.
Allocation of funds for the desilting and expansion work will be made once a feasibility report is prepared and submitted to the government.
Source: The New Indian Express
GCC increases fine for stray cattle
To tackle the growing menace of stray cattle in the city, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has increased the penalty to be levied on the owners of the cattle. The revision of fines is applicable for both the initial penalty for cattle found roaming the city’s streets and the charges that are levied on a daily basis to keep the cattle in the pound until they are claimed by the owners.
The fine’s have been revised from Rs 2000 to Rs 5000. The charges for impounding the cattle has been increased from Rs 200 per day to Rs 1000 per day. The cattle that have been impounded more than once will attract a fine of Rs 10000.
To date, the civic body has collected a fine of Rs 65.80 lakhs as fine from cattle owners since the start of the year. The revised fines will yield higher figures for the GCC and is also aimed at serving as deterrent to owners who allow cattle to roam freely.
Source: DTNext
Slaughterhouses in Chennai to be upgraded
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will upgrade the city’s slaughterhouses which have suffered from poor maintenance. The slaughterhouses in areas such as Perambur will be developed as part of the North Chennai Development scheme.
As per a survey carried out by the civic body, many slaughterhouses lacked basic facilities such as recordkeeping, lighting, walls, and clean spaces. The development plans for the slaughterhouses will take into account the various needs of each facility.
The slaughterhouses will be inspected by the elected officials of the GCC. An allocation of Rs 46 lakhs has been made in the current budget to provide basic upgrades.
Source: The Hindu
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GCC to reduce height of street lights
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will reduce the height of street lights across the city in order to provide improved visibility. The street lights will see a reduction in height from 8 metres to 5 metres. The move will also prevent the need to prune trees to improve the visibility of lights and also reduce the impact caused by the lights on trees.
As an energy-saving measure, the street lights will also be converted from 110 MW lights to 90 MW lights. The civic body maintains a total of 2.86 lakh street lights. Of this, the height of at least 50% of the lights is expected to be reduced. Work on reducing the height of lights on the interior roads will begin shortly.
Source: The Hindu
[Compiled by Aruna Natarajan]