Happy 382nd b’day Chennai: GCC kickstarts week-long beautification initiatives as part of celebrations

Around 2,100 students also participated in an art contest. “Several artists participated in a photography competition too. Even though the percentage of people who registered online was very less, artists and NGOs were seen partnering at the zonal level,” a Corporation official said. As entries for the Madras Day contest were open till midnight, many artists and students submitted their artworks, the official said, adding, city-based organisations planted saplings and conducted mass cleaning drives at slum and slum resettlement areas.

The official said the special programmes will continue for another week. “Corporate firms have also tied up with artists and organisations under CSR initiative. Wall paintings came up in several areas while night shelters run by the Corporation were decorated and lit up.”

The civic body conducted a contest among architects over creating designs to upgrade unused spaces under bridges and flyovers. The Corporation also initiated an exercise to vaccinate senior citizens at their homes on Sunday as part of celebrations. A special camp for slum residents was inaugurated at Moorthingar Nagar in Tondiarpet. “Tree saplings were planted in the Moorthingar Nagar Slum Board tenement area by ministers KN Nehru and PK Sekar Babu. Since May 7, 20,013 saplings have been planted by the civic body at 1,089 places while residents welfare associations and NGOs planted 3,599 and 13,918 saplings,” a Corporation press release said.

Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday extended his ‘Chennai Day’ greetings to the people, saying, “Chennai holds many prides like Singara Chennai and a city which receives and allows visitors to grow. DMK, which contributed to the growth of the city with a long term version, would continue to do so.”