Who told chennai is traditional city?. Review on Chennai

How is 2004different for chennai municipality , Leading IT companies and NASSCOM.

During the year 2004 chennai municipality has opened has opened separate channel for clearing building IT proposals by IT companies. Encouraged by this and also being on search for alternative to Bangalore opened new branches in chennai. Noticing this and also being long overdue NASSCOM has announced opening of new Chapter in chennai.

What made the difference? A small policy initiative by Government to remove unnecessary obstacles for growth ie. to open a express channel for clearing Building proposals among other things has definetely added to the proposition that Chennai can be a good place for further IT expansion.

In a recent World Bank report titled ''Doing Business India''-it estimated that it takes on an average 89 days to start a new business in India while in some countires it takes a mere 20 days. Why should it take so long for clearing building proposals and other approvals from municipalities , approvals from Pollution control Boards and from other statutory bodies given that Industrial Licensing is done away with in1991?

The above move by chennai is very much appreciable since atleast for non polluting industry like IT it initiated an express clearance window.

A lot of such moves to be taken to allow our cities to grow at their full potential. The recent Business India dated October 10 2004 points out that how rent control act and other policies of Govt are impeding growth in Mumbai.The magazine lamented that for all its potential to be southasian Hub it lost to singapore badly due to lack of proper integrated efforts.

While Mumbai is hailed as modern city and chennai treated as traditional city,the above shows that mumbai has to learn from chennai.

State level politics does not allow state Govt s to concentrate on cities.You know Chandrababu Naidu of AP lost elections because he is found doing something for city.In such a scenario the municipal mayor and the local municipalty shuld be strengthened in lines on 97th amendment to constitution which envisaged strenghtenig of municipalities. The Infosys mentor Narayanamurty and his collegue nilkarni are pursuing the issue of autonomy to cities seriously at various forums.

Hope our cities dont become like Calcutta of 1980- 1990 where growth is stagnated slums are more tha colonies due to lack of proper direction and orientation.

I feel all of us come forward with ideas for improving cities.