Chennai Mayor R Priya initiated the ‘Makkalai Thedi Mayor’ (Mayor meets residents) scheme at the Regional Deputy Commissioner Office (North), in Royapuram (zone 5) on Wednesday, May 3. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had announced the scheme in the budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024, noting that the Mayor will visit each zone personally to receive petitions from the public and ensure that their problems are addressed immediately.
At the launch of the scheme, the Mayor promised that the petitioners can expect their problems to be resolved within 15 days, after which she will visit the next zone. The scheme will therefore span over a period of eight months and end in December 2023. While commenting on the eight-month time frame, Mayor R Priya said, “Eight months might seem like a long time but we only have 15 days to fix all the problems in one zone. Hence, it is crunch time for us.”
To kickstart the scheme, the Mayor was accompanied by the GCC commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Deputy Mayor Mahesh Kumar, Minister for Hindu Religion and Charitable Endowments PK Shekar Babu, and Royapuram MLA Murthy R IDream at Royapuram where they accepted over 400 petitions from residents until 1 pm.
The scheme welcomes petitions governing several civic issues such as roads, playgrounds and parks, stormwater drains, street lights, toilets, garbage disposal, encroachment issues, tax-related queries, and birth and death certificate-related issues, among others.
Several petitions pertaining to the issuance of birth and death certificates were resolved immediately. After accepting the other petitions that will be cleared within 15 days, the Mayor explained, “We have acknowledged the petitions received today and provided the petitioners with a link. The link will show their complaint, which department it pertains to, what is the status of the complaint, and which officer is yet to take action. Hence, they can follow it up through their mobile phones.”
She further highlighted that she will also be accepting petitions against local authorities if any and that she is ready to take ‘prompt action against any big issue that is reported’ to her during such zonal meetings with the residents.
Additionally, sewing machines, nutrition kits for pregnant women undertaking treatment at primary health centres, and other relief funds were also distributed at the inauguration.