Chennai Corporation to audit old buildings in Parry’s Corner
The Greater Chennai Corporation is to audit the stability of the buildings in Parry’s Corner after a 70-year-old building in the area collapsed recently.
A building on Armenian Street, which was under renovation, collapsed on April 19. The incident left four injured. As many as 280 personnel were deployed in the rescue operation and more than 30 trucks were used to clear the debris.
Officials of the civic body stated that prior permission had not been accorded for carrying out the renovation of the building.
Source: DT Next
Expert Appraisal Committee recommends CRZ clearance for pipeline in Ennore
Union Government’s Expert Appraisal Committee has recommended Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for laying a petroleum pipeline from Ennore Port to Manali industrial area.
The pipeline that stretches for 20.39 km will pass through Puzhuthivakkam, Ennore, Vallur, Athipattu, Kathivakkam, Eranvur, Manali, Tirvottiyur, Sathangadu and Sadayankuppam villages, of which 10 km fall under the CRZ areas.
Notably, an oil leak in 2013 from the underground pipeline owned by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited in Tondiarpet, led to groundwater contamination. The remediation works for this have been underway for the past six years.
The EAC’s recommendation also comes at a time when the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is planning to conduct a study on the carrying capacity of air, land, water and environment in the area.
Source: The New Indian Express
Read more: How has TNPCB failed North Chennai?
CMRL launches Singara Chennai card
As part of the multimodel ticket integration plan, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has launched a National Common Mobility Card, also known as the Singara Chennai Card. Passengers can use a single card for travelling in the metro, sub-urban trains and MTC buses.
The card can be used in the Chennai metro at present. Passengers will be able to use it in MTC buses and suburban trains once the integration is complete. The scope of use of the card could be expanded further to cover travel by metro rail in other Indian cities and could eventually also be used in private transport services like Ola and Uber.
Source: The Times of India
GCC to improve green cover in Chennai
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will plant new saplings in parks and open spaces in the city in a bid to increase green cover. The efforts will be undertaken as part of Singara Chennai 2.0. Ten parks in each zone will be spruced up every week, according to Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi.
The first phase of the project will see the civic body plant 40,000 saplings of 20 varieties of native species, with many saplings which have already grown to a height of five feet. The saplings will be sourced from Rajahmundry.
Medians in the city will also get a facelift with Bougainvillea plants. They are preferred due to being low-maintenance and resistant to drought.
Source: The New Indian Express
Read more: Panel proposes practical and scientific ways to green Chennai
GCC urges Chennai residents to pay property tax before April 30
In an announcement, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has said that property owners who pay property tax dues within 15 days from the start of the financial year will be given a 5 per cent rebate of up to a maximum of Rs 5,000. As many as 15, 4,89,794 property owners have received this incentive from April 1 to 15 this year.
A sum of Rs 290.62 crore has been collected as property tax during the same period. In a bid to ensure that there are no defaulters, the local body has also planned to organise special camps every Saturday in the months of September and March.
GCC has also said that legal action will be initiated against defaulters of property tax in Chennai.
Source: DT Next
[Compiled by Shobana Radhakrishnan]