‘I was facing water scarcity and traffic congestion; will solve them for public now’

From an IT professional to Kancheepuram’s first Mayor, Mahalakshmi Yuvraj has quite a task cut out for her. Famed for its silk sarees, this temple town, with a large floating population of tourists and traders, also has its own share of woes. Water scarcity, drainage issues, traffic congestion...to name a few. The mayor, in an interview with DT Next, shares her plans for the district, considered to be the southern gateway for the Greater Chennai metropolis.

How is the transmission from an IT employee to an elected mayor?

I was working with Infosys for the past 14 years. Even though my family has a political background, I am facing a few challenges. And as a Mayor, it is a new experience. I am sure I will overcome the challenges and am looking forward to initiating more welfare schemes for the people.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge as Mayor of Kancheepuram?

Water, cleanliness, underground drainage and traffic are the most important things. The biggest challenge is to provide better facilities to all those residing here. I am sure I will be able to do that without any trouble and strategies are being worked out to solve underground drainage issues. Traffic decongestion is another major challenge that will be addressed.

A common issue facing the residents here is water scarcity. Any special plan to overcome it?

When I met people during electioneering, most of them complained about inadequate water supply. Even I was facing water problems in my house for the past several years. Periya Kancheepuram was receiving only 10 lakh litres of water from the Thirupparkadal water scheme. Now we have cleaned the pipes, increasing the carrying capacity to 75 lakh litres. The pipeline was laid 35 years ago and all the joints are worn out resulting in leakage. We have given a temporary solution for now and steps will be taken to evolve a permanent solution.

Traffic congestion is one of the major issues. What is your plan to decongest the roads?

Yes, traffic congestion is an important issue that needs to be fixed. As a motorist, I know how difficult it is to park a scooter in Kancheepuram town. To address the parking issue, we have planned to construct a multi-level car parking and we are searching for an ideal place. Even the funds have been allocated for the multilevel car parking and once the site is finalised, the construction will be taken up. To control the traffic we are examing a few proposals, but they are at an initial stage. Traffic is an issue for residents and steps will be taken to decongest roads.

What are other plans for the development of Kancheepuram in the next five years?

Schools will be developed, particularly the restrooms since they are in a bad shape. The corporation is planning to construct new restrooms for the schools and better classrooms will be built. There is a shortage of doctors at the Primary Health Centres and Government Hospital. Soon, we will take steps to fill these vacancies in coordination with the state government. More public libraries will be constructed for the people. We are in process of evaluating the public demands and more development plans are on the cards.