What will be your priorities for the next 6-12 months?
My immediate attention would be flood mitigation works by completing stormwater drain network, desilting drains and canals, and strengthening Chennai’s disaster resilience. For the long term, greening of the city and better pedestrian infrastructure will be some of the priorities.
What are the immediate works in the pipeline?
As we are moving towards the northeast and southwest monsoons, desilting SWDs and canals, ensuring adequate manpower, and pre-positioning of requisite machinery are priorities. Also, ongoing major projects will be finished within the deadline.
How will GCC handle the Rs 2,011-crore deficit for 2026-27 financial year? What are its plans to reduce expenditure?
The corporation is planning to address the deficit through revenue enhancement and expenditure rationalisation measures. We will focus on improving property and professional tax collection, augmenting tax demand through an inter-department data mapping, and increasing non-tax revenues through advertising on GCC's municipal assets. On the expenditure side, priority will be given to essential and committed works. Innovative PPP projects will be taken up to ease the financial burden. Projects will be proposed under the Urban Challenge Fund by using innovative finance methods like municipal bonds.
How would GCC address the long-term issue of footpath encroachments?
They will be dealt with strictly. We have 55 enforcement squads along with tipper vehicles that will be used for removing encroachments on footpaths. Special drives on specified days will also be conducted with prior intimation. It won't be a one-time affair, but a continuous engagement.
We will focus on improving property and professional tax collection, and increasing non-tax revenues through advertising on municipal assetsGS Sameeran, GCC commissioner (on handling the Rs 2,011-crore deficit)
What would the GCC do to resolve congestions on important stretches like Kodambakkam High Road, Paper Mills Road, Perambur Barracks Road, and Santhome High Road?
Currently, there is no proposal for widening roads, because that involves land acquisition; most of these areas are densely populated. But traffic modifications and junction improvements can be tried out with the help of the Chennai city traffic police.
What steps would you take to cut discharge of sewage into SWDs?
We are working in close coordination with the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) and Water Resources Department (WRD) officials. We have instructed field engineers to take action, initially focussing on major points and commercial establishments. Then we will focus on residential areas where CMWSSB has completed underground drainage works.
Parking is another perennial issue in the city. What is the status of smart parking implementation in Anna Nagar, and the multi-level parking in T Nagar?
Both Anna Nagar and T Nagar tenders are due in the first week of June. Once the managing facility is in place, it will resolve the parking issue in the locality. We have plans to extend this parking solution to other major areas through PPP mode.
A major concern among the youth is the shrinking of open grounds. Does GCC have any plans to address the issue?
Every year, we take up improvement works on parks and playgrounds. So far, more than 20 playfields have been improved, and play area improvement works are ongoing at all 15 zones. We will scout for more open play areas and will improve them based on local demand.
What does the GCC plan to do to develop recreation spaces?
GCC is concentrating on Blue Flag Beach development in Marina and other beaches.
What are the plans to improve accessibility for people with disabilities? When will the dedicated areas for kids with special needs be opened?
With the help of various groups, a few pilots and studies were conducted on inclusivity while designing city infrastructure. We have also evolved an inclusive module for training GCC engineers. We would like to bring design and other changes in infrastructure projects. A dedicated area for children with special needs is one such example. Ten inclusive parks are planned, and the works are in progress. We would like to open them by next January.
On improving accessibility in the city for PwD, the Commissioner noted apart from pilot projects, engineers will be trained with an inclusive module
GCC's steps to address the increasing stray dog and cattle menace in the city
We are increasing the capacity of our 11 Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres, besides setting up five more centres. Additional manpower, including veterinary surgeons and support staff, will be deployed in these ABC centres. Two shelters, each with 250-dog capacity, are under construction. This will help in containing the stray dog menace. Regarding stray cattle, we have 11 cattle shelters and six more are under construction. We are also levying fines on owners who let their cattle stray.
Besides bio-mining works to clear the legacy waste, what plans do you have to clear the fresh waste from in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dump yards?
Biomining is ongoing at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi and we have a 1,000 tonnes per day windrow compost project. Apart from that, two waste-to-energy projects and five bio-CNG projects are in the pipeline to increase processing capacity. Practically, it will take 2-3 years to see results.
Residents are complaining about the poor condition of interior roads. How would this be resolved?
Since August 2025, GCC has taken up 5,500 road works, of which only 200 are delayed due to the slowdown and stormwater drain works.
Contractors are facing a surge in bitumen price due to the West Asia war. What steps have GCC taken in this regard?
We have requested contractors to complete the pending works at the original estimate, and many have started work. Those who refuse to take up the work will be dropped. The West Asia war has led to an increase in petroleum and byproduct rates. We are expecting a GO from the government in the near future revising the schedule of rates.
Last year, the GCC had planned to expand the number of zones to 20 from 15. Will that happen this year?
It is a policy decision by the government, which will inform us once the plan is finalised.