Will Chennai expansion plan take off?

CHENNAI: The AIADMK government faces a huge task. What to do with the ambitious Chennai expansion plan, involving the merger of nine municipalities, 8 town panchayats and 25 village panchayats with the city? The local body polls are due in October.
It is understood that the AIADMK MLAs from Chennai's suburbs are not too keen on allowiing their strongholds to be merged with the city, while the CPM, an AIADMK ally, believes development in the suburbs will be faster.
Vijayakanth's Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam, on the other hand, has decided to wait and watch. "I will have to wait for the decision of the new government before making any comment," said DMDK presidium chairman and MLA from Alandur Panruti Ramachandran. The DMK-led Alandur municipality, in December last, had resolved to support the scheme, then deputy chief minister M K Stalin's pet project, despite strident opposition from members over the delimitation of wards.
The plan envisaged expanding the city limits from the existing 174 sq km to 430 sq km. An ordinance was promulgated in December last, amending the Madras City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919, giving effect to a 200-member Chennai Corporation council. The present council has 155 wards.
Maduravoyal MLA Beem Rao of the CPM said the expansion would better the quality of amenities in the suburbs, with expected funds from state and central governments. "It is my people's wish," he said, adding "a panchayat cannot be run with a meagre annual income of Rs one crore (including various grants)."
The merger will mean halving Madhavaram constituency, which presently includes Madhavaram municipality, Puzhal town panchayat and 15 village panchayats. "It poses serious administrative problems," said Madhavaram MLA V Moorthy of the AIADMK. But he cautiously adds: "Amma (chief minister J Jayalalithaa) will take a final call." A possible expansion will see Madhavaram lose the Sadayankuppam, Mathur, Teeyambakkam, Soorapedu, Kathirvedu and Puthagaram panchayats.
The proposed delimitation of wards, based on satellite imagery and census 2001 figures, met with stiff opposition from a few local bodies. Ambattur and Madhavaram, then represented by the Pattali Makkal Katchi, passed unanimous resolutions oppositing it, while Tiruvottiyur put it on hold. Alandur, Manali and Kathivakkam supported it
Tiruvottiyur AIADML MLA K Kuppan criticised the expansion, which will see each councilor managin a population of 50,000, will reduce his 48-member Tiruvottiyur municipal council to 14. In the industrial belt of north Chennai, a part of Tiruvottiyur alone has a underground sewerage system. Kathivakkam, Manali and Chinnasekkadu, expected to become part of the city, continue to let out sewage into nearby water bodies, including the Buckingham canal. Piped water supply remains a dream in most places here.