Achievements

STALIN - THE FIRST ELECTED MAYOR OF CHENNAI CORPORATION

The Ripon Building, home to Chennai Corporation, was constructed during the British Empire in India. Over the years, many prominent personalities have occupied the position of Mayor; when Raja Sir Muthiah Chettiar was the Mayor of Madras, he presented a gold chain of 100 sovereigns and a silver scepter to decorate the Mayor.

Elections were held for councilors of different wards to elect the Mayor who holds the office for one year. After the enactment of Nagarpalika Act, the public were to elect the Mayor who would hold office for five years. But corporation elections were not conducted after 1972-73 and commissioners and special officers ran the administration.

People were unable to convey their grievances in the absence of elected representatives and provision of basic amenities were affected. It was only after the return of DMK to power in 1996 that local body elections were ordered and 33 percent of seats were reserved for women. In the Chennai corporation elections, Stalin contested as the DMK candidate for the post of Mayor and won the elections by defeating his opponent Chandralekha.

Thus, Stalin has the distinction of being the first directly elected Mayor of Chennai. He had to face enormous problems which were left unattended for 25 years and people’s expectations were indeed very high.

Sanitary Work:

Stalin gave priority for sanitation work. The solid waste management department of the corporation undertook this task. It had to collect solid waste disposed by the households, carry them and dump in the yards at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi. After he became the Mayor, he ordered the purchase of an additional 203 heavy and light vehicles, 50 auto trailers, 5 loaders, 1300 push carts, 2 bulldozers and two electronic weighing machines at a cost of Rs 15 Crores and the sanitary works were expedited.

Innovative Method of Sanitation:

Under his leadership, the corporation management decided to carry out the task of sanitation work with innovative methods of collecting garbage, ensuring it’s faster and the process is cleaner. The need to come up with alternative methods of garbage collection and disposal arose as a response to the increasing number of industries, households and plastic usage.

The French firm Onyx, which has a base in Singapore, was carrying out garbage cleaning using modern methods. This firm was selected through an open tender for carrying out sanitation work in three zones of Chennai. Chennai Corporation became the first corporation body to adopt modern methods of garbage collection and disposal. The residents of Chennai welcomed the scheme whole-heartedly.

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