Identify buildings for new zonal offices, civic body tells engineers

CHENNAI: A few weeks after the State government announced to increase the number of Chennai Corporation zones based on the boundaries of assembly constituencies, the civic body has instructed its engineers to identify buildings to house new zonal offices.

“The Greater Chennai Corporation has 15 zones, 22 assembly constituencies and 200 wards within its jurisdiction. The zones and assembly constituencies are not co-terminus with each other, and this leads to administrative inconvenience,” a civic body circular said.

As per the proposed remarking of zone boundaries, north and central regions will have 8 zones each and south region will have 7 zones. In total, the civic body will have 23 zones as it has decided to segregate Sholinganallur assembly constituency into 2 zones due to its huge size.

Of the proposed 23 new zones, only 15 zones such as Tiruvottiyur, Madhavaram, Kolathur, RK Nagar, Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, Thousand Lights, T Nagar, Maduravoyal, Alandur, Saidapet, Velachery and Sholinganallur have zonal buildings. Existing zonal offices will be used for those zones. “The superintendent engineers are requested to identify a zonal building for functioning of new proposed zones immediately,” the circular added.

According to an announcement of State Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru in the assembly session, 22 assembly constituencies in Chennai Corporation will become 22 zones. Presently, the constituencies in the city fall under 2 or more zones.