Expansion of Chennai Corporation
Encyclopedia
Corporation of Chennai is one of the earliest municipal corporations in the country. However, till October 2011, the area under the corporation limits i.e. Chennai city area was a measly 174 sq km. Suburban Chennai was fragmented into number of small local bodies like municipalities and town panchayats. The fragmented and small local bodies lacked adequate funds to carry out development work. Moreover, they lacked vision for an all-round development of the suburban infrastructure due to fragmentation of the suburban area. With the IT boom in Chennai, the population of the suburban areas, especially near the IT Corridor, continued to increase. Flats and posh apartments sprung up on roads that were slushy and full of potholes because the roads, drainage, sewage and other infrastructure hardly matched urban standards.
In contrast, other southern cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad had already merged suburbs with the city as early as 2007. Bangalore's Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and Hyderabad's Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
brought as much as 800 and 650 sq km of area under city limits in 2007. However, Chennai Corporation continued to leave out the suburbs from development.
It was only in 2011 that the expansion process was initiated before the elections to the corporation council in October. 42 small local bodies were merged with the Chennai Corporation taking its area up to 426 sq km. However,the expanded Chennai city area is still much smaller than Bangalore and Hyderabad corporation limits. Some areas have been arbitrarily left out leading to anger among the residents of the areas that lost out on city status.
The new expanded Corporation of Chennai has 200 wards, an increase of 45 wards. Elections were held for the expanded corporation in October 2011.
In contrast, other southern cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad had already merged suburbs with the city as early as 2007. Bangalore's Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and Hyderabad's Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in short earlier known as the MCH is the urban planning agency that oversees Hyderabad, the capital and largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the local government for the City of Hyderabad...
brought as much as 800 and 650 sq km of area under city limits in 2007. However, Chennai Corporation continued to leave out the suburbs from development.
It was only in 2011 that the expansion process was initiated before the elections to the corporation council in October. 42 small local bodies were merged with the Chennai Corporation taking its area up to 426 sq km. However,the expanded Chennai city area is still much smaller than Bangalore and Hyderabad corporation limits. Some areas have been arbitrarily left out leading to anger among the residents of the areas that lost out on city status.
The new expanded Corporation of Chennai has 200 wards, an increase of 45 wards. Elections were held for the expanded corporation in October 2011.