Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: High: 36 ℃ | Low: 27 ℃ | Mostly cloudy weather for today.
🧐 Did you know? Meteorological observations were recorded in Madras earlier than they were in contemporary Europe. Eighteenth-century missionaries often recorded weather data.
🏢 Property tax collection
The Chennai Corporation has collected ₹817 crore in property tax since April.
What’s it about? Chennai’s civic body collected ₹817 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal from April 1 to September 26. The highest amount was from Teynampet (zone 9), with ₹157 crore. The least came from Manali (zone 2), with ₹10 crore.
- Other highest zones included Royapuram, with ₹114 crore and Adyar, with ₹100 crore. Among the least were Tiruvottiyur, with ₹12 crore and Madhavaram, with ₹23 crore.
- Property tax collection has increased by 17.90% for this year. ₹694 crore was collected in the first half of the previous financial year.
Tax rates: The Corporation increased the property tax rate by 6%. The state government issued a decree that property tax will be increased annually according to the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations.
📋 Name change tariff
The Tambaram Corporation introduced a revised tariff for name changes in property tax.
What’s it about? The Tambaram City Municipal Corporation (TCMC) introduced a revised fee for name changes in property tax to bring uniformity between the added and existing areas. While implemented in 2022, a lack of communication has caught residents off guard.
- One resident who purchased a flat for ₹42 lakh was asked to pay ₹20,000 to update his name on the property tax receipt. Under the Pallavaram Municipality, there was no charge for name changes.
- Since the change wasn’t properly communicated, some residents were pleasantly surprised by the tariff reduction. Others, not so much since there was an increase in the fee levied.
Reasoning: Officials cited Section 306 of the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920, under which local bodies can modify tariffs with the council’s approval. The revised tariff was justified to improve basic infrastructure across the municipality’s extended jurisdiction.
🌇 Expansion of Avadi and Tambaram
The Tambaram and Avadi Corporations will expand by incorporating additional villages and panchayats.
What’s it about? The two Corporations will annex 37 village panchayats to expand their respective boundaries. The government previously approved the Chengalpet district administration’s proposal to include local panchayats initially excluded when the Corporation was formed due to the 2019 local body polls.
- Established in 2017, the Tambaram Corporation will grow from 84.7 sq km to 172.34 sq km. Its population will increase from 7.2 lakh to over 10 lakh. It will have 18 additional villages, including Medavakkam, Cowl Bazaar, and Perumbakkam.
- Regarding the Avadi Corporation, the Tiruverkadu, Poonamallee, and Tirunindravur municipalities will merge with 19 villages. The Corporation will expand from 65 sq km to 188 sq km. Its population will increase to 6.95 lakh.
Process: The village panchayat president’s tenure ends this year. After that, the panchayats will be merged into the two Corporations.
🛣️ Road cutting ban
The Chennai Corporation has instituted a ban on road cutting ahead of the monsoon.
What’s it about? The Chennai Corporation announced that road cutting won’t be permitted in the city corporation’s limits from today onwards, in anticipation of the northeast monsoon.
- In cases of emergency road cuts, applications will be reviewed by a committee, and approval will be needed from the Corporation commissioner.
- Officials are working round the clock to repair road cuts due to electricity and stormwater drain works. Over 30 new tenders have been floated to restore road cuts in Teynampet, Sholinganallur, and Kodambakkam zones.
Complaints: The Corporation received several complaints earlier this week in Aminjikarai, Perambur, and Tondiarpet, following heavy rainfall.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you generally like rainy weather?
- I do like rainy weather.
- I don’t like rainy weather.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What vegetables do you consume the most?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- A framework was released for the redevelopment of 30-year-old buildings.
- The Chennai street race was a pivotal event at a crucial juncture for Indian motorsports.
- Opposition parties criticised the government’s move to increase property tax by 6%.
- Jayakanthan R emerged as the winner of the Chennai edition of The Hindu Businessline Cerebration Quiz.
- The Chennai Corporation has allowed the issuance of trade licenses for private burial grounds and crematoriums.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!