The 2023 GCC budget was presented by Chennai Mayor R Priya on March 27. Key announcements were made regarding traffic management, new projects on solid waste management and stormwater drains and education.

Here is a roundup of some of the important projects proposed and the allocations made for the same by the civic body.

Revamped traffic management strategy in GCC Budget

• To manage parking in the city, GCC plans to extend the on-street paid parking system under a PPP model to other zones. Currently, this model exists in zones 8, 9 and 10.
• A Parking and Traffic Management Committee is on the cards this year to combat haphazard illegal parking. This committee will consist of Chief Engineer (Town Planning), Superintending Engineer (Bus Route Roads), Additional Revenue Officer, Operator (Parking and Traffic Management), Assistant Revenue Officer (Headquarters – Parking), Assistant Executive Engineer (Parking and Traffic Management) and three Assistant Executive Engineers for this role.
• Joining hands with the police and traffic police, GCC will work on properly disposing of abandoned vehicles, which will improve vehicular traffic.

Infrastructure projects in GCC budget

• For Rs. 2.20 crores, 105 CCTV cameras are to be installed in Marina Beach, Anna Nagar Tower, Cooum River and Adyar River
• Burial grounds will be beautified along with plants and Rs. 14 crores have been earmarked for it.
• GCC has allocated Rs. 10 crores to maintain its 35 commercial complexes and 63 community halls.
• 11 Municipal Primary Health Centers will be constructed in the GCC area.
• Under the NSMT scheme, 2687 bus route roads and interior roads will be relaid for Rs. 327.63 crores.

Stormwater drain projects in GCC budget

• GCC will desilt all its stormwater drains at a cost of Rs. 35 crores.
• Rs. 232 crores have been earmarked for building new stormwater drains in the core parts of Chennai which are yet to be connected.
• Integrated stormwater drains are to be set up in some areas of South Chennai at a cost of Rs. 350 crores of KfW funding.
• Rs. 1,000 crores will be spent to build integrated stormwater drains in Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram and Ambattur using Asian Development Bank Funds.

Read more: Looking beyond stormwater drains to realise the dream of a flood-free Chennai

Solid Waste Management in GCC budget

• At a cost of Rs. 1.08 crores, 289 vehicles used for conservancy work will be installed with GPS equipment under a rental agreement for three years.
• The top three wards from all the zones will be recognized and rewarded annually by the Greater Chennai Corporation for the best solid waste management practices.
• A policy will be made to prevent garbage dumping in open or vacant plots in Chennai, holding the owners of the plots accountable.
• Rs. 3.25 crores to be spent on providing two sets of reflective jackets for more than 10,000 conservancy workers.

Public health in GCC budget

• A monitoring unit will be set up at Tondiarpet Communicable Disease Hospital in Chennai to monitor disease spread among people.
• A Vector Control Kit will be procured at an estimated cost of Rs. 35 lakhs for all the workers doing vector control work.
• Six new vehicles will be procured at an estimated cost of Rs. 60 lakhs to catch stray dogs.
• Five new vehicles will be procured at a cost of Rs. 1.35 crore to catch stray cows.

Education in GCC budget

• In-person and online coaching will be provided to the students studying in Chennai Corporation schools from classes 9 to 12 standard for competitive examinations.
• A Career Guidance Program will be conducted by experts in different fields and alumni to guide the students of classes 10 and 12 in GCC schools to create awareness about higher education and job opportunities.
• Students who have studied in GCC schools and cleared national-level or other competitive exams and get admitted into nationally prominent educational institutions, their fees will be borne by GCC for a year.
• A cash prize of Rs.10,000 each will be given to the GCC school students who secure 100 per cent in any subject in the class 12 board examination. Rs. 10 lakhs is allocated for this prize.
• The infrastructure of laboratories will be upgraded to conduct practical classes in all GCC High and Higher Secondary Schools. In the first phase, laboratories in 10 higher secondary schools will be upgraded at a cost of Rs. 2 crores on a priority basis.
• Renovation of school infrastructure and maintenance have received Rs. 45 crores as part of the 2023 GCC Budget.
• 20 GCC schools to get Rs. 25,000 worth of musical instruments each.

Read more: Inadequate infrastructure and lack of personnel affect learning in Corporation schools in Chennai

Governance in Chennai

• Every month, the Chennai Mayor will visit the three regional offices (North, Central and South) to directly receive petitions from people, under the ‘Makkalai Thedi Mayor’ initiative.
• A centralised command and control centre is to merge different grievance platforms of 1913, the Namma Chennai app, and other social media platforms to form a Citizen Engagement Forum.
• The Ward Development Fund has been increased to Rs. 40 lakhs from Rs. 35 lakhs from 2023-24.
• If a ward councillor dies, the next of kin will receive a family security fund of Rs. 3 lakhs from this financial year. Earlier, the fund was only Rs. 1 lakh.

Also read:

• Lessons from residents’ efforts to remove bins in Valmiki Nagar in Chennai
• A citizens’ traffic plan for Perambur High Road
• Stray dogs and the Animal Birth Control programme in Chennai