Hall booking: Online system fails to prevent malpractice

As per the present system, public can check online to know the availability of halls and book them by submitting valid identity proofs.

When contacted, a Chennai Corporation official said that the civic body had procured chairs, cooking utensils and decorative materials for 70 per cent of the community halls. “We have a proposal to procure items for the remaining community halls and the steps will be taken after the election,” the official added.

The official assured that action would be taken against the persons who are storing their chairs and utensils inside the community halls and coercing the users to hire these items. “Whenever we receive complaints from the public, we would warn the persons and remove their things. The public can hire chairs and utensils from wherever they want,” he said.

With 11 halls, Teynampet has the highest number of community halls among the city zones, followed by Anna Nagar and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar (8), Royapuram (7), and Kodambakkam (6). On the other hand, Perungudi has none, while Tiruvottiyur, Manali. Ambattur and Valasaravakkam have one each.