Chennai: The narrow streets of Perambur erupted into cheers, whistles and a sea of waving hands as C Joseph Vijay returned to his constituency for the first time after assuming office as chief minister, walking through neighbourhoods to thank residents for electing him.Vijay inaugurated the renovated Perambur MLA office on Sharma Nagar First Main Road. It also houses a new e-Sevai centre equipped with six computers, where Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency staff will help residents apply for Aadhaar, PAN, ration card, birth and death certificates, and other citizen services. The chief minister handed over certificates to five beneficiaries as a symbolic launch.He reviewed the proposed projects for Perambur covering housing, sanitation, drinking water, and urban development, together worth about ₹1,000 crore.At the Chintamani cooperative fair price shop in MKB Nagar, his next stop, Vijay launched the statewide distribution of electronic family cards, handing them over to 50 families from Perambur. The rollout will benefit 73,000 families across Tamil Nadu whose applications for ration cards have been approved. He also distributed rice and other essential commodities.The actor-turned-politician later inspected the ₹47.5-crore MTC electric bus depot at Vyasarpadi, reviewing its charging infrastructure and operations. Officials told him future fleet additions would include AC low-floor electric buses.Of the projects worth ₹1,000 crore, ₹544 crore was allocated for the reconstruction of dilapidated slum board resettlement areas. An official said such areas in Vyasarpadi, Mullai Nagar and parts of Kodungaiyur, which are a few decades old, will be demolished and reconstructed.“We plan to redevelop the Ambedkar Arts and Science College. Besides this, 11 public facilities like bus stands, public toilets and govt offices will be improved at ₹160 crore,” the official said. The chief minister gave a nod to all these projects, and work will begin immediately.Besides this, the chief minister gave a letter to the GCC commissioner to improve amenities using his constituency funds worth ₹3 crore. Under this, a sports complex worth ₹50 lakh will be built in Mayor Krishnamurthy Nagar, ₹25 lakh for basketball, cricket pitches and a kabaddi court, and ₹50 lakh to construct a dialysis unit. Another project was proposed to create a gig workers’ lounge at ₹25 lakh. Another ₹50 lakh will be used to build six bus shelters at Erukkanchery High Road, SIDCO Nagar, two locations in SM Nagar, MKB Nagar and Vyasarpadi flyover junction, with live feed to a police control room for women’s safety. Another ₹50 lakh was allocated to develop 50 anganwadi centres.
