The circular mandates officials to improve greenery by utilising Open Space Reserve lands and areas around waterbodies.
| Photo Credit: RAGU R
The Tamil Nadu government has issued a 16-point circular directing urban local bodies, including the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), to streamline service delivery and undertake morning inspections, based on the directions from Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. They were also asked to expedite revenue collection and regulate poster placements.The Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department issued directives to urban local bodies on June 3 and to the GCC on June 4.It mandated that Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, and Zonal Officers be in the field before 7 a.m. to monitor conservancy work.A senior official of the GCC said that while these constitute regular municipal works, the overarching instruction is to conduct a systematic review and prioritise certain issues.The official added that Deputy Commissioners and Joint Commissioners must oversee these tasks to ensure proper execution, with the GCC Commissioner told to monitor the activities in real-time.Senior officers must visit public toilets and bus stands daily to ensure proper maintenance.The circular also mandates that the roads be swept before peak hours daily.It further states that posters can be pasted only in the places earmarked for the purpose and strictly prohibits sticking them on public walls.‘Inspect street lights’Further, officials must inspect street lights every week and resolve faulty lights within 24 hours.Regarding this, the official said that a recent survey of the 3.11 lakh street lights in the city had revealed a 99.2% functionality rate, yet 200 defects are reported daily.Weekly meetings on revenue collection are mandated to address property tax and professional tax arrears and to meet current targets. The GCC official said these efforts were to increase the collection of arrears and achieve the current quarter’s target.Building plan approvalsThe circular also said delays in building plan approvals would not be tolerated, and directed disciplinary action against errant staff.Officials must focus on improving greenery by utilising Open Space Reserve lands, areas around waterbodies, and roadside avenues. Tree saplings planted must be over five feet tall to prevent damage by stray cattle, and Corporate Social Responsibility funds may be used for this purpose, the circular stated.Additional directions include regular review of the Animal Birth Control programme focusing on Anti-Rabies Vaccines, routine monitoring of biometric attendance, and road quality checks and inspection of material quality at work sites. Published - June 06, 2026 12:13 am IST
