TN Smart – an app for real time flood alert
Later this month, the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority will launch a real time web app that will provide flood alerts across the state for better response management.
The app will collate data based on the information available about earlier disasters, and will predict the impact of weather forecast. It is expected to be ready before on the onset of North east monsoon.
TN-SMART (Tamil Nadu – System for Multi-hazard potential impact Assessment and Emergency Response Tracking initiative would be in line with World Meteorological Organisation’s Global Framework for Climate Services
Source: The Hindu | The Times of India
Deadline extended for property tax self declaration
The Greater Chennai Corporation has extended the deadline for submission of self declaration of property tax till September 16, based on requests received from several quarters.
In the wake of revision of property tax of upto 50% for residential and 100% for commercial property, all home owners of Chennai, resident or otherwise, are required to self declare the property details like property type, total area, constructed area and year of construction.
Source: The Times of India
Check your name on voter list before October 31st
Greater Chennai Corporation has released the electoral poll list and residents can check this list to add or delete names before October 31st. The number of voters and other details will be displayed for the public in Zones IV (Tondiarpet) , V (Royapuram), VI (Thiru ViKa Nagar), VIII (Anna Nagar), IX (Teynampet) and XIII (Adyar).
Anyone born on or before January 1, 2001 can register as a voter. The Corporation will be organising special camps on September 9 and 23, October 7 and 14 at over 3000 voting booths where the public will be able to add and remove names and change constituencies.
Source: Deccan Chronicle | New Indian Express
Public spaces at Metro stations will now be put to effective use
Chennai Metro has decided to put its huge infrastructure to good use. Individuals and organisations can now use the public spaces in metro stations, for exhibitions and social cause communication, for a nominal fee. Though fund raising programs are not permitted, art & cultural programmes, awareness initiatives will be encouraged.
The recent photography exhibition at Vadapalani station received a good response.. With almost every station now having a food counter, in addition to public space in the concourse level, CMRL hopes that by giving the public access to the stations through such initiatives, more commuters can be motivated to use the Metro.
Source The Times of India
CMDA dry run of end-to-end online planning permissions
In an effort to digitise the entire process for obtaining planning permissions and to minimise official intervention, the planning authority is conducting a test run of the entire online process. The planning authority gets about 550 applications for building permissions under different categories each year.
Though the current system has an online facility, documents such as NOC and Title deed still have to be produced in person. The new process hopes to do away with that.
The implementation process towards an integrated approach is being undertaken in phases, the current requirement being nearly 25 approvals from various departments.
Source: The Times of India
[Compiled by Sandhya Raju]