Urban News

Addressing councillors from eight different corporations gathered here for the national-level sport meet organised by the Chennai corporation on Wednesday, Subramaniam said, “Lakhoni’s dedication to improving the city’s infrastructure during his tenure has fetched six nationally-acclaimed awards for the historic corporation, which gives it a unique distinction among all civic bodies in the country.”

Recalling his association with Lakhoni, the Mayor said, “I have seen his commitment towards the job ever since he was appointed as Deputy Commissioner (Works) of the Corporation in 1996.”

“We councillors alone could not take on the city’s infrastructure development and it’s a collective effort with officials, including the commissioner, who has played a big role in making it a reality,” Subramanian opined.

“Lakhoni has been posted as the MD of Metro Water and all councillors know how tough it is to manage the post, but he will deliver and prove his mettle there too,” he said , adding that the former commissioner was a man who loved challenges.

In his acceptance speech, Rajesh Lakhoni thanked the Mayor M Subramanian and all others for giving him the right support throughout his tenure to execute a number of projects.  In a lighter vein, he said that he was not going far away from the Corporation, but only to the Metro Water department, which was interlinked with the civic body.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting organised by the Chief Secretary on September 14. It was decided at the meeting that digital banners, being temporary in nature, could be effectively regulated by introducing a new legislation called ‘Special Provisions Governing Digital Banners’ and different set of rules needed to be framed. For this purpose, an amendment to Chapter XII-A of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act and similar local body Acts should be made. The amendment would be introduced in the forthcoming November session of the Assembly.

The meeting also decided to set up one nodal agency and to simplify the procedure for issuing permission for digital banners.

The meeting was attended by the Secretaries of Home, Municipal Administration and Water Supply and Law, and Chennai Corporation Commissioner and the Chennai District Collector.

The minutes of the meeting were produced before a division bench comprising Justice D Murugesan and Justice V Rajendran on Wednesday, which adjourned the matter till October 20.

Originally, Traffic K R Ramaswamy, a public interest litigant, filed a writ petition to regulate digital hoardings in the city.

A bench passed an order this January 29. As the practice of erecting unauthorised digital banners continued even after the January 29 order, Ramaswamy filed a contempt application to punish the authorities concerned for not effectively curbing digital banners.

The government held the meeting and decided to bring in a new law.