GCC to tap into facilities along major roads for netting revenue

Greater Chennai Corporation explores revenue-generating projects to offset property tax decrease, sparking concerns about safety and unauthorized advertisements.

After the Tamil Nadu government announced the rollback of the 6% annual increase in property tax, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has started exploring the feasibility of implementing revenue-generating projects along roads to offset the decrease in revenue. After Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply K.N. Nehru announced that the government would not give its approval for the 6% annual increase in property tax, some residents have accused the Corporation of increasing the property tax by 6% after April 1, 2025. The civic body clarified that the increase was only in October 2024 and the 6% increase in property tax would not be implemented this year, April 1, 2025-March 31, 2026.

According to estimates, the civic body is expected to generate an additional revenue of ₹120 crore in property tax this year in the event of the State government approving the 6% increase, which is now unlikely, say Corporation officials.

Instead, at least 12 different projects for revenue generation have been proposed along important roads in Chennai, says an official. Of the 12 projects proposed by the Corporation, the government has given approval for advertisements on street light poles. This will help to generate ₹30 crore a year. “We will start permitting glowing boards for advertising on 50,000 street light poles on the bus route roads. The interior roads will be taken up in the next phase, after a study,” says another official.

However, residents’ associations have demanded that the Corporation ensure the safety of motorists while implementing such projects. Korattur resident B. Prasanna Kumar says the glowing boards on street light poles will threaten the safety of motorists. “The Corporation should assess the design and modify it to prevent road accidents. The LED lighting in glowing boards will distract motorists,” says AIADMK councillor J. John.

Velachery resident S. Kumararaja says the glowing boards on street light poles will increase the number of unauthorised advertisements. “The Corporation has removed the advertisements from street light poles. It has also tried to regulate cables that threaten the safety of residents. Now, residents are worried about an increase in unauthorised advertisements after the permission is granted to a certain agency. How will the Corporation differentiate between an authorised board and an unauthorised board? Does it have manpower to remove the unauthorised boards,” he asks.

Korattur Housing Board resident T. Joseph says flood-prone areas, like his neighbourhood, suffer from the problem of damage to street light infrastructure because of persistent flooding during the northeast monsoon. “The risk of damage to street light poles is high because the flood level is several feet high. We are worried about the impact on the street lights once the priority shifts to revenue generation,” he said.

In addition to the glowing boards, the Corporation intends to develop food courts along important roads to generate revenue. “On-boarding of a consultant is in progress. The process will be completed in one week,” says an official.