Deccan Chronicle      20.11.2010

Greater Chennai to have 200 wards

Chennai, Nov. 19: The state government has notified the expansion of city corporation limits to 426 sq km from the existing 175 sq km by merging nine municipalities, eight town panchayats and 25 village panchayats adjacent to it.

Municipal administration department secretary K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty said in the gazette notification that territorial division of wards and zones would take place based on the inclusion of new areas before the local body polls.

“The greater corporation will have 200 ward councillors. We will notify the ward boundaries after consulting with local bodies soon,” Mr Shetty told DC. The wards in core Chennai will have more population and its periphery the number will be less. The merger of 42 local bodies requires total re-organisation of the civic body and involves lot of procedural works. “We have to convert the existing municipal and town panchayat offices as zonal offices of corporation or area offices of Metro Water board.”

The gazette notification said the Governor of Tamil Nadu, using the clause (9) of section 3 of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act 1919, declared a total of 42 local bodies should form part of the city of Chennai.

Municipalities such as Ambattur, Madhavaram, Manali, Maduravoyal, Valasaravakkam, Alandur and Tiruvottiyur will become part of the greater Chennai while Uthandi as its eastern border.