Chennai Buzz: Suburban areas property tax cut | CMDA makeover for iron & steel market..and more!

Suburban areas will see property tax reduction due to basic street rate cuts. Metro Rail to plan link stations for Phase 2. Catch this and more news!

Chennai suburbs to see basic street rate reduction

The Greater Chennai Corporation council passed a resolution to reduce the basic street rate (BSR) component of property tax calculation for some suburban areas of Chennai. The BSR component will now be equal to or less than that of the core areas. Previously, the BSR component of the suburban areas was higher than some of the core areas, prompting protests by residents. 

Residents of Alandur, Valsaravakkam, Ambattur, Thiruvottiyur and Madhavaram saw high BSR after the latest round of property tax revision whereby the rates were set higher than Nungambakkam and T Nagar. The resolution passed will see the BSR set in comparison with the nearest core city area to the suburb. This change may lead to no increase property area in some of the suburbs even after revision of property tax rates. 

Source: The New Indian Express


Read more: Why does actor Rajinikanth pay less tax than Nagarajan of Nanganallur?


Stations to link Phases 1 and 2 of Chennai Metro

New metro stations to link Phase 1 and Phase 2 will come up in seven locations, making switching between lines seamless for commuters. As part of Phase 2, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will construct stations near existing ones at Nandanam, Alandur, Thousand Lights, Kilpauk, Thirumangalam, Vadapalani and Koyambedu. 

A subway or foot over bridge will link the stations in Phase 1 and Phase 2, making the movement of commuters more convenient. The work for Phase 2 is expected to be completed by 2025. The location of the Phase 2 stations and mode of linking will depend on the nature of the existing stations. Underground stations will be linked via a subway while above ground stations will be linked by foot over bridges. The station at St Thomas Mount will have the Phase 1 and Phase 2 tracks linked without construction of an additional station. 

Source: The Times of India 

Ford Chennai plant employees stage protest in face of shutdown

On Monday, the production line at Chennai’s Ford car plant came to a halt, workers were asked to sign an undertaking that stated that they couldn’t hold any protests in light of the plant shutting down. As per the undertaking, workers are not allowed to engage in activities that would disrupt production such as sit down strikes or go slow strikes, or any other form of ‘unauthorized gathering’, within the plant premises.

Workers also mentioned how they were given assurances that the plant would continue to operate and would receive Electric Vehicles for manufacture. Instead, many were shocked to see that the plant would be shutting down. Their demands include a better severance package for the workers. Around 2,600 workers at the Chennai plant are protesting.

Ford closure Chennai
The closure of Ford in Chennai will affect jobs n ancillary industries as well as lead to direct job loss. Pic: Pixabay

They have split into two groups: one is holding a sit-in protest on the shop floor inside the plant. The other is sitting in the lawns adjacent to the plant entrance. According to one of the protesters, they launched the protest on Monday from 6.45 am to 3.15 pm which is when their first shift takes place. The protest still continues as of now.

Source: The Print


Read more: What the Ford closure tells us about the economy


CMDA to makeover iron and steel market in Thiruvottiyur

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will be conducting a feasibility report to modernise the Sathangadu Iron and Steel Market in Thiruvottiyur. The market spread over 203 acres, consisting of 850 plots of different sizes. It was developed for wholesale steel traders in 1991.

The feasibility study aims to identify the vacant plots out of the total 850, and explore how these could be revamped so as to generate revenue. In terms of ownership, 37.58 acres of the total area was allotted to Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and 13.21 acres was allotted to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP).The market’s infrastructure was heavily damaged in 2016, due to Cyclone Vardah and Nivar in 2020.

According to the association president of the Market, repairs for roads and streetlights were carried out only last year. However, power connection and internet connectivity were still lacking in the area. The traders association requests the CMDA to ensure these connections are given priority.

Source: The New Indian Express

[Compiled by Savitha Ganesh and Aruna Natarajan]

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