The Times of India 24.08.2012
New areas remain booted out of corporation's online initiatives
CHENNAI: Almost a year after they were merged with Chennai Corporation, several suburbs remain outside the ambit of online services offered by the civic body.
Services like property tax payment and debris removal are not available
for the expanded areas of the corporation on
www.chennaicorporation.gov.in. Chennai is one of the few corporations
with online facilities, but the civic body has not been able to extend
the service to its new areas.
Malfunctions in the website have
affected localities in the old corporation limits too. The online
booking facility for mortuary vans, burial grounds and freezer boxes has
not been functioning for a couple of months.
The civic body
resumed these services only on Thursday, after repeated complaints. When
contacted, corporation commissioner D Karthikeyan said civic body
officials would look into the matter. "We will take steps to provide
online facilities for both the old limits and expanded areas of the
corporation," he said.
Incidentally, ahead of the September 2011 local body elections, AIADMK's mayoral candidate Saidai Duraisamy
had a website set up. The website, which contained effusive praise of
the candidate right through the campaign, was promptly shut down as soon
as he won the election.
The corporation has also withdrawn
online booking of marriage and community halls. The corporation has
collected nearly 3 lakh in fines in single month for dumping of debris
in the city but the debris removal service is not available for the
extended areas, where there are many violations.
The malaise
appears to be affecting the civic body in the real world too. In a bid
to increase property tax collection, the civic body recently started
accepting payments through banks. But the civic body forgot to extend
the facility to the expanded areas.
