Mayor R Priya made 83 announcements in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) budget session for 2024 - 2025 fiscal year on Wednesday, February 21. The GCC budget focused on women, education, public health, and flood mitigation. Chennai women are to have exclusive gyms in each ward and a call centre is to be set up to monitor the women who have high-risk pregnancies in 15 zones. The modernisation of the 192 burial grounds in the city limits is also in the pipeline, and the corporation is planning to develop an app to know the location of the public toilets in the city.
The GCC budget announcement also increased theward fund for the councillors from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 45 lakh. The highlights of the budget are here:
Education
As a security measure for school premises, the GCC has installed CCTV cameras in 159 schools between 2022 and 2023. Now, the GCC has extended the scheme and allocated Rs 7.64 crore to install CCTV in 255 corporation schools in Chennai.
The corporation has allocated Rs 50 lakh for skill development courses to two community colleges for women located in Alwarpet and Purasawalkam.
Rs 35 lakh have been allocated to appoint 10 mental health counsellors in 10 localities to give therapy to students (belonging from classes 6 to 12) who are in need of support. Last year, the scheme was introduced in seven high and higher secondary schools. Based on the reception from the teachers and parents the facility is now to be extended to all high and higher secondary schools.
Rs 11 lakh is allocated to corporation schools to get musical instruments. In the first phase of the scheme, five high schools and six higher secondary schools are to get Rs 1 lakh each.
Public Health
An Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) is to be established in Kathivakkam at the cost of Rs 3 crore. The announcement was made after repeated requests from the residents of Periyakuppam, Chinnakuppam, Nettukuppam, Ennore, and other coastal villages in the locality.
Adyar Urban Community Health Centre is to be revamped with additional buildings that can accommodate another 70 beds, as the number of people accessing medical care from the centre has increased in recent times. The three-storey building will be constructed at the cost of Rs 7 crore.
The Emergency Obstetric Care Centre in Saidapet is to get Rs 7 crore for 70 additional beds in a new three-storey building on the same campus.
The corporation is planning to establish a High-Risk Mother's Call Centre to monitor the health conditions of women who have high-risk pregnancies.
To control street dog attacks in the city, the corporation is to procure seven vehicles for transporting strays. For this Rs 70 lakh has been allocated. Also, Rs 60 lakh is allocated to have three Mobile Veterinary Vaccination Vehicles to give vaccines to stray dogs.
Rs 2.50 crore has been allocated to set up two more Animal Birth Control Centres in the city, to control stray dogs’ population.
Stormwater Drainage Department
Rs 10 crore has been allocated to renovate the eight water bodies located within the city.
Rs 8 crore has been allocated to create sponge parks in the city. The lake in MMDA colony will be converted into a sponge park to absorb water during monsoons to avoid flooding.
Infrastructure
The GCC is to modernise all the 192 burial grounds in the corporation limits at the cost of Rs 10 crores.
A mini stadium is to be constructed in the MMDA colony and the existing 19 playgrounds in the corporation will be upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore.
Chennai women are to get exclusive gyms. ‘EmpowHER gyms’ will be constructed in every ward in the corporation at the cost of Rs 10 crore.
In the budget speech, the Mayor also mentioned that an app will be developed to know the locations of the public toilets in all 15 zones in the corporation.