Greater Chennai Corporation faces monsoon and tender audits

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is facing scrutiny over both its administrative processes and its monsoon preparedness. During a monthly council meeting, Mayor R Priya alleged that she and Deputy Mayor M Magesh Kumar were excluded from government-level meetings regarding northeast monsoon preparedness, despite the civic body's responsibility for managing city flooding.

Commissioner GS Sameeran reported that Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned for monsoon precautionary works, including Rs 22.46 crore for desilting storm water drains and Rs 22 crore for road repairs. However, councillors expressed concerns regarding the slow progress of these works and questioned whether the allocated funds are sufficient for ward-level needs.

Separately, the state finance department is conducting an audit of GCC tenders after the corporation issued 14,543 tenders in the last financial year—more than triple its usual average of 4,000 to 4,500. Commissioner Sameeran noted that the audit aims to investigate works conducted without following prescribed approval processes, administrative sanctions, or entry into the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.