Where is the promised infra and amenities, ask residents of 19 new Corporations in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: In an effort to bolster urban infrastructure and services, the State government recently upgraded 19 municipalities to Municipal Corporations. While this move was expected to usher in a new era of development and growth, residents and stakeholders lament over the pace and efficacy of infrastructural works, and express doubts over the subsequent changes such projects are supposed to bring.

At the heart of the matter lies the yawning gap between the promise of upgraded infrastructure and services, and the reality on the ground.

Kumbakonam Corporation

Residents of Kumbakonam Corporation, for instance, are grappling with a plethora of issues, including the menace of stray cattle on the roads, overflowing sewers, and the absence of a dedicated website for paying fees and reporting grievances.

“The problem of stray cows has only intensified since our municipality was upgraded to a Corporation,” rues R Balakrishnan, a resident of Kumbakonam. “Pedestrians, school and college students, and motorists are all affected by them. Accidents and injuries are common these days. Moreover, due to the lack of a Corporation website, we have to physically visit the municipal office for even the most mundane tasks. It’s tedious and a huge inconvenience.”

In response to these concerns, Mayor K Saravanan has assured residents that the Corporation was working diligently to address these issues. “We’re in the process of completing underground sewerage works at Rs 11 crore, which will put an end to the problem of overflowing sewers,” he explains. “Additionally, we’re building 4 separate zonal offices for the Corporation, which will be operational in a couple of months. After this, we’ll also launch a website for our Corporation, which will enable residents to pay fees, report grievances, and access other services online.”

Tiruvannamalai Corporation

Tiruvannamalai is not so far behind in terms of lack of infrastructure facilities and basic amenities. Residents are fed-up of filing grievances about poor sanitation and traffic congestion, among others.

“The entire town looks like a garbage dump. Trash is scattered all over the roads,” fumes S Ganesh, a resident of Tiruvannamalai. “The Corporation needs to provide more garbage bins and ensure that they are emptied regularly. Also, the Tiruvannamalai bus stand is in a pathetic condition. There are no proper sanitation facilities. Inadequate parking space causes huge traffic jams, especially during peak hours and also during festival seasons. These affect not just residents but also tourists and pilgrims.”

Commissioner M Gandhiraj of Tiruvannamalai Corporation acknowledged these concerns and gave assurances of addressing them at the earliest. “We’ve improved solid waste management in the town, with regular garbage collection and disposal,” he says. “Additionally, a new bus stand, with better amenities for commuters, will come up in a couple of months, which will reduce traffic congestion. A website will be launched soon for our Corporation.”

Tambaram Corporation

Nearer to the city, residents of Tambaram Corporation fume over the lack of development in the locality in the last three years. They are especially displeased at the officials for not maintaining a proper portal for filing complaints as the mobile app launched last year did not meet the expectations.

They also claim that the Corporation has not provided better road facilities, and over the years, only patchwork was done in most streets.

Santhanam, a social activist from Chromepet, wonders why the State government wanted to add more village panchayats to the Corporation while residents were reeling from the lack of basic amenities. “Villages were combined and a Corporation was formed. But it feels as if it was done only to increase the revenue. Nobody seems to have thought of development,” he avers. “Corporation officers must provide the people with basic amenities and only after that, they should consider adding more villages to the panchayat.”

The Corporation’s toll-free number, supposedly launched to file complaints about civic issues, is useless as none of their grievances have been fulfilled, say residents. “The Corporation also launched a mobile app – Voice of Tambaram – with so much fanfare last year to streamline complaint management but even that’s not functioning properly,” a resident tells DT Next.

Mahendra Boopathi, president of the Perungalathur Welfare Association, states, “From the day of its launch, the app has not functioned properly. The launch was meant to show-off their political might.”

Karthikeyan, a resident of Chromepet, said, concurs and points to the idle toll-free number. “I reported an issue last week, and till now it has not been resolved. I visited the Corporation office and tried speaking to a few officials but the response was poor,” he recalls.

Residents too frustrated over the lackadaisical attitude of officials, who are “always in a meeting”, and claim that “things would have been better if Tambaram had remained a panchayat or municipality”.

The everyday issues such as stray cattle menace, road traffic, overflowing drainage, and lack of drinking water facilities still remain unaddressed for 3 years.

However, an official from the Tambaram Corporation, categorically denied these allegations, and explained: “In the last two months, over 4,000 complaints have been registered through the app. Among them, nearly 3,100 issues have been resolved. Yes, there are a few technical glitches as it’s still in the initial stage, but it will get better in 6 months.”

Avadi Corporation

At a time where denizens use social media to register their complaints and also use digital apps to make payments for many services and sales, residents of Avadi are deprived of such technological support.

Avadi municipality was converted into a Corporation with the promise of better infrastructure, but other than raising taxes, no improvements have been made, fume residents. Again, there is no dedicated website, toll-free helpline number or even a mobile app to post grievances.

“How do we raise complaints about issues like faulty street lights, piled up garbage, choking drainage and stray dogs? Avadi Corporation, unlike the Greater Chennai Corporation, does not have a dedicated website where we can monitor tax assessments, download birth and death certificates, etc,” points out T Sadagopan, president of Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre.

The details like the heads of each department with their numbers, options for complaint registration, wards and details, zonal officers must be given to ensure transparency. “Information on burial grounds and hospitals is a major necessity. For instance, when children are abroad, and in cases of death, they must be able to easily get the details from the website,” he adds. “Currently, any information on Avadi Corporation is under the State government website, which is cumbersome to navigate. Even the details of the Tidel Park in Avadi is not shared.”

Lack of names boards of streets and a proper drainage facility are other problems that plague the Corporation. “Roads in many areas are in a bad condition. There are no proper drinking water facilities here either,” rues Sridhar Kumar, secretary, Gopalapuram Makkal Seva Sangam.

When contacted, Avadi Corporation Commissioner S Kandasamy admits to the unresolved issues in the area, and adds: “Already, the Corporation has informed the State municipal administration department about having a separate website. The decision has to be taken by them. Sewage lines worth Rs 98 crore were constructed in 2020. These lines will be extended but it requires more funding. The same for water supply too. Currently, there are no plans to have a helpline or app for the Corporation due to paucity of funds.”

While these assurances are welcome, residents and stakeholders remain sceptical about the pace and efficacy of these changes.

“Upgrading a municipality to a Corporation is not just a matter of changing nomenclature; it requires a fundamental transformation in the way services are delivered and governance is exercised,” opines a senior official with the Municipal Administration and Water Supply department. “While we acknowledge that there are teething troubles, these new corporations will eventually deliver on their promise of better infrastructure and services.”