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Financial Management

Madurai corporation unveils AMMA scheme

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The Times of India                  12.03.2013  

Madurai corporation unveils AMMA scheme

MADURAI: The AIADMK-ruled Madurai city corporation on Monday unveiled in its 2013-14 budget a scheme named 'AMMA Thittam' - Azhagia Madurai MAanagar (Beautiful Madurai City Scheme) - to take up grievance redressal, mass cleaning, repair and maintenance works in all the 100 wards. The novel scheme bearing an acronym akin to the popular name, Amma, of party supremo and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, cheered the AIADMK councillors.

Unveiling the scheme, corporation mayor V V Rajan Chellappa said the 'AMMA Thittam' aims to carry out works in all the 100 wards on a war-footing. While concentrating on repair and maintenance works in the previous 72 wards, the scheme will concentrate on drinking water facilities, garbage clearing and mosquito control measures in the recently formed 28 wards, he said.

Under the scheme, 600 workers, with 150 each in 10 teams for four zones, would be deployed for maintenance of the wards.

The one-day schedule in each ward will be garbage clearing; cleaning the sand accumulated on the roads; maintenance of underground drains, street lights, parks, bore wells and hand pumps; planting of trees; removing stray animals like dogs, pigs and cattle in the city areas; mosquito control measures and sanitation works.

By concentrating on each ward in the four zones per day, the corporation can carry out these works in all the wards in 25 working days, the corporation estimates.

To implement the AMMA scheme, two committees are to be formed - 1) a planning committee consisting of zonal chairmen and councillors and 2) an executive committee consisting of officials.

As a one-time expenditure for the scheme, the corporation has set aside Rs 2 crore for water-leakage management, patchwork for roads, repair of damaged manholes, increasing height of manholes, extension of open drainage, removal of garbage, small maintenance works in school and hospital buildings and building of new roads (20-50 feet), new waterline connections and platforms around bore wells.

Along with the scheme, Chellappa also announced that the councillors' development fund has been increased from earlier Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh much to the pleasure of the councillors.

The lone CPM councillor, M Chellam, commented that the scheme appears good but it should be implemented properly for the welfare of the public.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 March 2013 09:51
 

Civic body proposes water theme park, expansion of Srirangam flower market

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The Hindu                      12.03.2013

Civic body proposes water theme park, expansion of Srirangam flower market

 
Corporation projects a revenue of Rs. 260.38 cr., expenditure pegged at Rs. 278.74 cr.

Proposals on establishing a science park and a water theme park in the city, expansion of the flower market in Srirangam, extension of the underground drainage scheme for uncovered areas of the city, establishment of a new market, and a slaughterhouse at Kattur Pappakurichi are some of the salient features of the corporation Budget for 2013-14.

With salary and pension payments accounting for nearly 70 per cent of its revenue expenditure, the Tiruchi Corporation will be saddled with a whopping deficit of Rs. 18.36 crore. The Budget estimates project the civic body’s total revenue for the next financial year at Rs. 260.38 crore and expenditure at Rs. 278.74 crore. The budget tabled at a special meeting of the Corporation Council chaired by Mayor A. Jaya, here on Monday. However, the Corporation has managed to wipe out a deficit of Rs. 11.42 crore projected in 2012-13 and has managed to record a surplus of Rs. 7.60 lakh during this financial year as per the revised estimates presented along with the Budget. This was made possible through better revenue receipts during the year, said V. Ayyappan, chairman, Standing Committee on Taxation and Finance, tabling the budget. Mr. Ayyappan expressed confidence that the deficit in 2013-14 too would be bridged through better tax compliance and the civic body’s initiative to collect tax arrears mired in litigations.

Nevertheless, the corporation continues to depend heavily on State funds to improve civic amenities in the city continues and expects an allocation of Rs. 39.69 crore under the Integrated Urban Development Mission (IUDM) during the year for laying new blacktop roads, cement roads, and construction of drains. Significant among the Budget proposals will be the move to construct new buildings for the corporation maternity centres at Woraiyur and West Boulevard Road in the city. The maternity centres are to be converted into 24-hour hospitals with modern amenities and equipment. An initial allotment of Rs. 50 lakh had been made for the proposal.

A new market will be established at Kattur Pappakurichi to cater to the needs of residents in a five new wards created following the merger of Tiruverumbur Town Panchayat and four other panchayats with the corporation. The market will be built at the site where platform shops are currently operating. However, no financial allocation has been specified. A proposal will be forwarded to the government soon for the establishment of a modern slaughterhouse for goats at Kattur Pappakurichi.

The Corporation has proposed to install closed circuit television cameras at its main and zonal offices, tax collection service centres and also at its garbage dumping yard at Ariyamangalam. The move comes in the wake of a break-in reported at the office of one of the Corporation Executive Engineers a few months ago. The installation of the CCTV cameras at the garbage dump is apparently was intended to monitor and check fire accidents.

The civic body has revived proposals on establishing a water theme park and a science park in the city, both mooted nearly a decade ago. The water theme park is planned on a 15-acre site at Panchapur. However, the civic body will seek expert opinion before firming up the proposal. The science park is to come up at the corporation grounds at Anna Nagar, where a similar project was abandoned midway through some years ago. The corporation has now made an allocation of Rs. 3 crore for the project. A proposal on extending the underground sewer system to uncovered areas in the city, at an investment of Rs. 129.21 crore has been forwarded to the government.

The project is proposed to be taken up under the IUDM and will depend on the sanction of the government.

The corporation has proposed to expand the flower market at Srirangam by constructing additional shops after demolishing a few dilapidated shops at the old bus stand in the town. A new gasifier-based crematorium will be established at Manalvarithurai at a cost of Rs. 75 lakh with government assistance.

The council would take up the Budget for discussion on Thursday.

 

Longlist of 126 proposals for city

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The Hindu                      12.03.2013

Longlist of 126 proposals for city

The Chennai Corporation budget for 2013-2014 aims for a cleaner, greener and aesthetically enhanced city, with over 40 of the 126 proposals covering these aspects.

Intensive cleaning of roads, pedestrian plazas at three places, 7-km-long cycle track and musical fountain on Marina beach, 100 additional parks, solar energy generation, LED lighting, beautification of more beaches and distribution of nochi saplings for mosquito control — these were some of the measures proposed by Mayor Saidai Duraisamy in his budget speech on Monday.

He said the civic body would use soap for washing roads and street furniture to ensure the civic facilities are clean. However, the cleaning operation with soap will not damage roads, he said. Many countries wash roads to keep them clean.

Pedestrian plazas will be commissioned in T. Nagar, Chepauk and Mylapore as part of the civic body’s efforts to provide better amenities for pedestrians. The plaza in T. Nagar will have a commercial theme, in Chepauk it will have an environmental theme, while the one in Mylapore will adopt a religious theme.

The Chennai Corporation will also commission facilities to promote cycle sharing as an important means of providing last-mile connectivity to MRTS stations initially. The facilities will also be commissioned along Metro Rail corridors in the long run.

A proposal to implement cycle circuit along Marina beach from Fort station to Foreshore Estate for a length of 7 km has also been made.

The civic body will install solar rooftop panels in all buildings of the Corporation of Chennai within three years in a phased manner. This will augment power supply and supplement conventional sources of energy.

The Corporation will also promote LED lighting to save energy and improve aesthetics. According to the Mayor, LED light fittings will be provided in all areas of the Corporation.

Improvements to beaches in Neelankarai, Kottivakkam and Palavakkam will be made based on a detailed project report prepared by consultants. The beaches, which will be provided with footpaths, car parking and children’s play areas, will adhere to existing Coastal Regulation Zone rules.

The civic body has also proposed geo-technology for better supervision of solid waste management. This is likely to ensure cleaner surroundings by monitoring of garbage removal in neighbourhoods.

Roads are likely to get a facelift with granite footpaths on 100 bus routes.

To facilitate laying of granite, encroachments such as junction boxes, pillar boxes and transformers will be removed. The footpaths will be commissioned within three years in a phased manner after removal of encroachments.

A parking management cell of the Chennai Corporation will tackle the challenges faced by owners of 26 lakh motorcycles and 6 lakh cars in the city. Additional street-parking units will be commissioned after the establishment of the parking management cell.

The city’s lung space will grow bigger with the commissioning of 100 new parks on open space reserve land. Existing and new parks will also be equipped with rainwater harvesting structures and drip irrigation systems to promote greenery.

The Mayor also announced that conservancy staff who promote plastic segregation of waste will be rewarded.

 


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