Chennai: The Tamilnadu budget had a slew of announcements for the city which focused on infrastructure as well as conservation of nature.
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said urbanisation and development have put pressure on reserve forests in and around Chennai with problems like encroachments and dumping of garbage. Rs 25 crore will be allotted for the conservation of the reserve forest areas in the city. He said this fund will be utilised to construct compound walls and live wires around the forest area in Chennai city .
He said a Comprehensive Solid Waste Management project for the Greater Chennai Corporation has been prepared.
“Administrative sanction has already been accorded for collection and transportation of solid waste in eight zones in two packages for a total cost of Rs 1,546.04 crore. Remediation and reclamation of existing landfills for Kodungaiyur and Perungudi under PPP mode along with the setting up of waste-to-energy plants in under consideration of the government at a total cost of Rs 5,259.10 crore. The government will accord sanction for this project shortly,” he added.
As far as infrastructure development is concerned, he said the government will implement the ‘Comprehensive Integrated Parking Management Project’ in Chennai city by creating underground parking facilities, multi-level parking facilities and on-lane smart parking under PPP mode to accommodate two lakh four wheelers and two lakh two wheelers at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore. TNIFMC will provide necessary funding support, he added.
38,000 TENEMENTS FOR POOR FAMILIES
Paneerselvam said Tamilnadu Housing and Habitat Development for Urban Poor programme, with World Bank assistance, will be launched to construct 38,000 tenements at a cost of Rs 4,647.50 crore in Chennai and surrounding areas for poor families living at river margins by adopting best resettlement practices.
FLOOD MITIGATION
He said as a special measure the government will take up permanent flood mitigation works like formation of reservoir across Orathur tributary of Adyar river with inter-basin transfer canal for water supply augmentation and flood mitigation near Orathur Village in Sriperumbudur taluk.
ANNA UNIVERSITY 2.0
Panneerselvam added that Anna University will be sanctioned Rs 100 crore to upgrade infrastructure, including equipment, to impart teaching at international standards in the university and the engineering colleges under the control of Director of Technical Education.
BUS IS THE BUZZ
He said a project to procure 12,000 new BS VI buses and 2,000 new electric buses at an outlay of Rs 5,890 crore with KfW loan assistance will be implemented. The State government will introduce 2,000 BS VI buses in the State and 500 electric buses in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai during the first phase.
ADMINISTRATIVE SANCTION FOR CMRL
Panneerselvam said the feasibility study of extension of metro rail from Meenambakkam Airport to Kilamabakkam metro bus terminus is being taken up.
Out of the approved 118.90 km of three metro rail corridors, JICA has approved funding of Rs 20,196 crore for implementing the priority stretches totalling 52.01 km for Madhavaram to Sholingalnallur and Madavaram to Chennai Mofussil Bus and the State Government has accorded administrative sanction for a total cost of Rs 40,941 crore to commence the work shortly.
GOVT TO BECOME TECH SAVVY
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government would harness artificial intelligence, machine learning, block chain, big data, drones and Internet of Things (IoT) to serve the people better. For this, a centre of Excellence for Emerging Technologies’ would be set up under TNeGA.
BOOST FOR MSMEs
Panneerselvam said the industrial estates in Thirumudivakkam and Alathur will be further expanded to meet the growing demand of land for new MSME units. SIDCO industrial estates will be provided separate industrial feeder lines to provide quality and uninterrupted power supply to MSME units.