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February 16, 2022 07:43 pm | Updated 07:47 pm IST
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The construction of overbridge at the Pattabiram Railway Station has been progressing at a slow pace. | Photo Credit: K. PICHUMANI
The Avadi Corporation is a prestigious battle ground for the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). With the Dairy Development Minister and Avadi MLA S.M. Nazar’s son S.M. Hasin Raza contesting in Ward 4, the DMK has a lot at stake to win the corporation. However, the Opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is giving it a tough fight by highlighting the various projects the former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami did for the Avadi constituency, including the upgradation of the municipality to corporation, construction of Information Technology Park and renovation of the Paruthipattu lake.
The Avadi Corporation is a strategically important constituency because of the presence of Heavy Vehicle Factory and other Defence establishments. Unlike the Tambaram Corporation created by the DMK-led government, the Avadi Corporation consisting of thickly-populated residential areas such as Pattabhiram, Muthapudupet, Kovilpadagai, Thirumullaivoyal, Annanur, Paruthipattu, and Thandurai, was upgraded a few years ago by the AIADMK without adding any adjacent municipalities or special town panchayats.
The residents, who had high hopes of the improvement of civic amenities when the municipality was upgraded to the city corporation, are aggrieved by several civic issues, mainly the delay in the completion of the underground drainage (UGD) and piped water supply, bad roads, inadequate bus facility and protection of waterbodies.
A. Dharanitharan of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in Avadi said for any corporation, to be successful it was essential to have a robust revenue. But the upgrading of Avadi from municipality to the City Corporation without merging the nearby areas of Poonamallee, Thiruverkadu, Nadukuthagai, and Thiruninravur, would not in any way help in increasing the revenue.
Mr. Dharanitharan, citing the huge revenue loss already being sustained by the Avadi municipality, said the Corporation faced shortage of staff in all departments, including building plan permission and health. He wanted the corporation to improve the maintenance of parks and playgrounds to be created for youths.
Social activist T. Sadagopan, while highlighting the more than decade-old issues of the commissioning of the underground drainage system, said untreated sewage from houses flowed into the stormwater drain. This had become a health hazard. He complained about the poor maintenance of the burial grounds, which were yet to be fully handed over to the corporation, except the Thirumullaivoyal gas crematorium sponsored and maintained by a private agency.
Comparing the smooth online functioning of registration of birth and death certificates in the Greater Chennai Corporation, the consumer activist wanted similar online facility in Avadi.
The residents of Pattabhiram want the councillors to request the Stare Highways Department to speed up the construction of an overbridge across the level-crossing on the CTH Road and that of the subway between Sekkadu and Pattabhiram at a cost of ₹20.50 crore and has been kept pending. The inauguration function for the subway was held in January 2019.
T. Arivarasan, AIADMK candidate in Ward 27 of Thirumullaivoyal, highlighting the achievements of the 10-year rule when the municipality was upgraded to a corporation and the construction of the IT Park on the lines of the Tidel Park, assured of taking steps to bring piped water supply and the underground drainage system at the earliest, construction of stormwater drain network and replacing old streetlights with LED lights in the entire ward. An advocate by profession and also a former office-bearer of the Bharathi Nagar Residents Welfare Association, Mr. Arivarasan said steps would be taken to get Pattas issued for residents, removal of the pig menace from the streets and getting widow pension scheme for the eligible women.
However, Avadi MLA Nazar, explaining the background of the underground drainage scheme, which has been caught in delays and is the main poll plank of the two political parties, said the scheme was announced in 2001 at an estimated cost of ₹340 crore was rejected by the former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa despite two resolutions passed by the Avadi Municipality.
Mr. Nazar said the UGD was okayed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin when he was the Local Administration Minister in 2006 and the project was inaugurated in 2008. The UGD project, which should have been completed in 10 years, has not been completed and now the Corporation has readied giving piped water supply and drainage connections to more than 14,000 residents.
Mr. Raza, who is contesting from the biggest ward of the Avadi Corporation, said he would take steps to resolve vexatious problems such as bad roads, delay in the implementation of the UGD project and better conservancy.
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Chennai / Tamil Nadu Civic Polls / civic infrastructure
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