TN govt amends water supply and sewerage act; eases attaining corporation status

CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu: The Government of Tamil Nadu has recently passed a bill to amend the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Act, 1978. The new amendment has made it mandatory for the owner and occupier of the property on a private street to get a sewer connection if there is a sewer of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board within a radius of 30 metres. The bill in this regard was tabled by K N Nehru, Minister for Municipal Administration, Government of Tamil Nadu.

Minister Nehru tabled another bill, which was adopted by the house, to introduce a provision in the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act, 1998 (Tamil Nadu Act 9 of 1999) allowing to declare an area a town panchayat, municipal council, or municipal corporation even if it does not meet the required population and income criteria. The Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies, 1998 says to declare an area a municipal corporation, that area should have a population of at least three lakh and an annual income of above ₹30 crores.