Chennai: Tamilnadu Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru on Tuesday announced that six Municipalities, including suburban Tambaram in Chennai, will be upgraded as Municipal Corporations.
Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for his department in the State Assembly, he said apart from Tambaram, Kancheepuram, Kumbakonam, Karur, Cuddalore and Sivakasi municipalities would be upgraded as municipal corporations.
Tambaram municipal corporation would be created by annexing Pallavaram, Chempakkam, Pammal and Anagaputhur municipalities and neighbouring town panchayats and panchayats.
As far as other municipalities are concerned, the upgradation would be done by including developed local bodies around them.
Nehru said Tiruchi, Nagercoil, Thanjavur and Hosur municipal corporations and the Chengapattu, Poonamallee and Mannargudi municipalities would be expanded by including neighbouring local bodies.
He also announced that more than 20 Town Panchayats will be upgraded into Municipalities across the State.
The announcement of Tambaram as Corporation is expected to bring development to the southern suburbs of Chennai.
Nehru said the upgrade would not affect elected representatives of local bodies. They would hold their posts until their tenure is complete. Mergers, expansion and upgrade would be done after the expiry of the tenure of local bodies.
The government’s decision to upgrade and expand the urban local bodies would improve the basic amenities and infrastructure in the region by better mobilisation of land resources and finance. Going by the 2011 census, 75 per cent of the male workers in the expanded areas coming under the urban local bodies are involved in non-agricultural sector, which is an indication of urbanisation of the area.