Chennai Corporation – Artifex.News

Chennai Corporation rolls out measures to deal with heat wave conditions

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 19:14:00 +0000

A boy protecting himself from the scorching heat, sitting inside a play material stocked for creating a play area in Marina in Chennai on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SRINATH M

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has begun heat-wave preparedness at 754 locations, including 300 hospitals, 397 Amma Canteens, and 57 homeless shelters in the city.

The civic body has imparted training for staff to treat heat stroke cases in the 15 zones of the city. “GCC has readied medications and drugs for treatment of heat stroke at hospitals, including UPHC, UCHC and UHWC. A total of 1.34 lakh ORS packets are available to GCC centres. All those who visit the GCC centres will get oral rehydration solutions,” said an official.

GCC officials have begun raising awareness among residents about the heat wave, advising people to carry an umbrella during the summer heat, wear a cap, and avoid walking or jogging in parks during the daytime. Residents have also been advised not to step out of their homes during heat wave conditions. The Integrated Command and Control Centre will monitor heat wave conditions and provide advisory for residents.

As the impact on children, pregnant women and senior citizens has been reportedly high, officials have suggested measures to prevent heat stroke cases of such residents in each locality. The officials have advised residents to prevent children from visiting playgrounds during the daytime in summer and permit them only during the morning and evening in the playgrounds and parks.

Published – May 29, 2026 12:44 am IST

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Calls grow for Greater Chennai Corporation to bring permanent solution to Adyar River hyacinth issue

admin — Thu, 21 May 2026 19:03:00 +0000

Water hyacinth on the stretch of the Adyar near Madras Boat Club.
| Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

The persistent accumulation of water hyacinth and consequent rising mosquito menace in the Adyar River have drawn flak from residents and rowers, who have demanded a permanent solution from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

S. Jagadeeshan, 24, a resident of a settlement near Thideer Nagar on the banks of the Adyar, alleged that the build-up of water hyacinth, garbage, and debris, along with the mosquito menace, was addressed only during visits by elected representatives so far.

“The last time the hyacinth was cleared was about a month ago. Even then, it was not removed completely. Mosquito breeding has become so menacing that we are not able to even step outside. Children get sick often,” he said.

Mr. Jagadeeshan claimed that there was no door-to-door garbage collection in the locality, except in Gothamedu Housing Board tenements, resulting in residents dumping waste into the river. He also said drainage works promised by the previous government remained incomplete despite roads being dug up three months ago, leading to sewage entering the river. He further said that on the wider river banks on the other side of Maraimalai Adigal Bridge (formerly Marmalong Bridge), some youth engage in gambling and alcohol consumption between the bushes.

Madras Boat Club captain Sumana Narayanan said the spread of hyacinth had intensified since October last year, resulting in the cancellation of morning boating sessions because of dense weed accumulation. She said repeated complaints had been made to the GCC and deweeding operations were carried out periodically, but it was a recurring issue.

She added that mosquito breeding had increased, particularly for residents living near the banks. She said the spread of hyacinth reduced oxygen levels in the water, leading to fish deaths, and that the weeds moved along the river depending on wind direction.

Ms. Narayanan said older members of the club had observed that the problem had worsened over the past 30 to 40 years. She also referred to assistance provided earlier by Anna University and agencies from the Netherlands, and an earlier water study conducted by Anna University.

Over the years, several allocations have been announced for Adyar River restoration, including projects for eco-park development, sewage interception, flood mitigation, riverfront parks and resettlement of families living along the banks. The allocations ranged from multi-crore phase-wise projects between 2006 and 2011 to ₹4,227 crore in 2024.

Chennai Deputy Mayor M. Magesh Kumaar said he would inspect the river and ensure action against illegal sewage discharge and garbage dumping into the waterbody.

Published – May 22, 2026 12:33 am IST

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Own-source revenue generation, flood mitigation & clearing encroachments top priority for Greater Chennai Corporation’s new Commissioner G.S Sameeran

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 18:55:00 +0000

G.S. Sameeran, a 2012-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, assumed charge as Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Tuesday. Notably, he previously served as the GCC’s Joint Commissioner from 2023 to 2024.

An MBBS graduate from the University of Kerala, Dr. Sameeran holds a postgraduate diploma in urban environmental management and law from the National Law University, Delhi.

He began his IAS career as Assistant Collector (Training) in Thoothukudi district in 2013, then was appointed Sub-Collector in Paramakudi, Director of Fisheries, and Collector of Tenkasi (2020-21) and Coimbatore (2021-23). Prior to his current position, he served as Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board and the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board. He has also won national awards for his work in various fields.

The GCC had recorded ₹1,602 crore in its 2026-27 Budget. What will be the steps taken to compensate for past deficits and outstanding contractor debts?

There will be a detailed review of the revenue and fund position of the local body on May 20. We will be concentrating on GCC’s own-source revenues and new revenue-generating mechanisms like advertisements and there are upcoming Public-Private Partnership projects in the pipeline. Apart from this, outsourcing bus bays and identifying unassessed or under-assessed properties will also be pursued to sustain the local body’s expenditure.

You were formerly the Joint Commissioner (Works). Now, how will you prioritise infrastructure projects like stormwater drains, road relaying, and monsoon preparedness as Commissioner?

On May 20, I will have a general review of all the internal departments. I will have a preliminary review of the status of all the works, including stormwater drains, other building works, and monsoon preparedness works. A detailed review will be charted in the coming days.

What will be your vision for flood mitigation and the Cooum and Adyar River projects?

The maintenance of a few canals, such as the Otteri Nullah, Jafferkhanpet Canal, and the Captain Cotton Canal, has been handed over to the GCC from the PWD. The GCC will begin desiltation, bund strengthening, and flood mitigation works before the monsoon sets in. In some places, culverts need to be raised. The GCC has also taken up the revamping of many ponds, which will be completed, including those in Ramapuram, near Padavattamman Temple, and water bodies in Kadappakkam and Korattur. Flood mitigation and clearing the channels will be the first priority. Beautification of the water bodies, including the rivers, will be the next stage. Bringing them into public use by setting up parks, walkways, etc., will be done subsequently.

Complaints regarding encroachments have been constant. What action will be taken?

Outright and permanent encroachments on government property by way of construction will definitely be dealt with an iron hand and treated seriously with legal action. On the other hand, everyone wants a beautiful city without hindrance to pedestrians and traffic, but the livelihood of the people who depend on street vending also needs to be considered. GCC will see how best this can be handled by rehabilitating people and creating pedestrian and transport-friendly streets and pathways. This will involve consulting stakeholders for rehabilitation and making arrangements without damaging livelihoods overnight.

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Chennai Civic Body Buys 36 Boats Ahead Of Monsoon, Shares Pics

admin — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 13:59:49 +0000

The northeast monsoon is expected to arrive by the third week of October.

Greater Chennai Corporation is taking proactive measures to prepare for the upcoming monsoon season. In a post on X, the civic body announced that they have purchased 36 boats to ensure readiness in case of heavy rainfall, distributing them across Zone 3, Zone 14, Madhavaram, and Perungudi. This move comes after the Regional Meteorological Centre forecasted normal to slightly above normal rainfall during the northeast monsoon.

”Dear #Chennaiites, #GCC has purchased 36 boats as a precautionary measure in case of heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. Below are pictures of the boats distributed in Zone 3 &14. One boat to Zone 3 and two boats to Zone 14,” the tweet read, along with a few pictures.

See the post here:

Dear #Chennaiites,#GCC has purchased 36 boats as a precautionary measure in case of heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. Below are pictures of the boats distributed in Zone 3 &14. One boat to Zone 3 and two boats to Zone 14.#ChennaiCorporation #HereToServe #NalamiguChennai pic.twitter.com/8apDlfk8eG

— Greater Chennai Corporation (@chennaicorp) October 2, 2024

The northeast monsoon is expected to arrive by the third week of October, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), and it’s likely to bring more rainfall than usual. This monsoon season typically runs from October to December, bringing much-needed rain to the southern peninsula.

To oversee monsoon preparedness, the government has also appointed 15 IAS officers, one for each zone. The officers will be in charge of preparedness, planning, relief and mitigation of all the zones in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

The GCC has also identified vulnerable areas, mapping and analysis, preparedness of institutional arrangements and pre-positioning of human resources. Additionally, the corporation is implementing various measures to enhance capacity building, including mitigation strategies, stakeholder sanitization, traffic management plans, communication channels, relief arrangements, and medical preparedness.

These measures follow the devastating Cyclone Michaung in December 2023, which brought 400 mm of rainfall in just two days, resulting in widespread flooding and waterlogging that claimed 17 lives and affected thousands. Several questions were raised on systemic issues and disaster preparedness. Local people had complained that relief operations were poor and there was no forewarning.

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