Madras High Court on 4 April 2025 quashed a criminal case registered on 21 October 2018 against four residents of Chitlapakkam: R Balachander, Kumara Subramanian, Sunil Jayaraman and Sivakumar. Chennai Police had booked them under charges of deterring officials from discharging duty and threatening them after they questioned a cut-and-cover drain project started before tenders were finalised. Balachander and Kumar were jailed for a week. Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan ruled the allegations were trivial and lacked sufficient merit. The court stated seeking information regarding alleged irregularities in a public project was not a criminal offense. The trial had moved slowly since 2018, strengthening the case for quashing. The residents, part of citizen group Chitlapakkam Rising, had filed a petition in Madras High Court seeking quashing of the trial.

The United Federation of Residents Welfare Associations of Tambaram and Tambaram Corporation Zone 3 Residents Welfare Association asked Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to review property taxes in Chitlapakkam and other corporation areas and extend the September 30, 2026 payment deadline. Their representation followed a September 26 general body resolution.

For a 1,500 sq ft residential building, annual tax was ₹26,812 in Chitlapakkam Zone A on GST Road, compared with ₹16,250 on Boat Club Road, ₹15,440 in Poes Garden-Binny Road, and ₹10,160 on North Usman Road and Anna Nagar Second Avenue.

The groups sought rates based on guideline value, location, road conditions and civic facilities; an expert committee including officials and residents’ representatives; public disclosure of the revision formula; and an opportunity to object before rates are finalised. Chromepet resident S Kamala said her half-yearly tax rose from ₹414 to ₹4,760 after reassessment and objected to reassessment of other flats in her complex.

The state has completed the final 250-metre arm of the Perungalathur Road Over Bridge (ROB), towards Tambaram’s Eastern Bypass on Gandhi Road, and will open it to traffic on Friday, September 25. The 15-metre-wide, bidirectional four-lane arm is the ROB’s sixth and final arm; its completion was delayed nearly two years by a 33/11 kV substation on the alignment. State Highways paid Tangedco ₹32 crore four months ago to shift the substation and acquired the land. Motorists from Tambaram, Mappedu, Thiruvanchery and nearby areas can use the ROB towards Vandalur and Chengalpattu, bypassing GST Road; it also links to eastern Tambaram.

On Gandhi Road, nearly 1 km from the ROB, a six-lane stretch narrows to two lanes for about 750 metres through reserve forest. A proposal to provide alternative land for widening has been approved by the Chengalpattu collector. Widening to six lanes would connect motorists directly to Mappedu and Selaiyur.

The ROB replaced Level Crossing Gate 32 between Tambaram and Vandalur railway stations near Perungalathur. Construction began in 2019 at a cost of ₹235 crore. Its first two arms opened in September 2022, an arm towards New Perungalathur on SR Road in June 2023, and two arms connecting Tambaram towards Vandalur in August 2024. Activist Dayanand Krishnan said the ROB improves access to Chitlapakkam and Rajakilpakkam, but Camp Road junction remains congested at peak hours.

Tambaram Corporation undertook property tax reassessment without proper consultation or prior notice, triggering backlash from residents' welfare associations, social activists and property owners. At least 100 complaints received, being examined case-by-case. Commissioner S Balachander said properties may have been under-assessed or misunderstood; matter will be redressed shortly.

Complaints show significant increases: Chitlapakkam resident study found 1,500 sq ft residential property on Babu Street would draw Rs 23,238 annually against Rs 16,250 for comparable property on Boat Club Road in GCC area. United Federation of Residents Welfare Associations reported half-yearly tax on 468-sq-ft commercial property climbed from Rs 3,000 (2024-25) to Rs 11,725 (2025-26), with solid waste user charge rising from Rs 1,800 to Rs 3,000. Pallavaram resident's 2,620-sq-ft ancestral property half-yearly tax jumped from Rs 490 to Rs 24,231. Residents attribute spike to civic body's attempt to establish uniform property tax rates. Federation demanded calculation break-up and tax review.

Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) says it completed 88% of stormwater drain works, spending ₹6,475 crore over four years on 1,235 km of drains across all corporation zones. Residents report missing links, clogged canals, sewage in drains, poor maintenance and designs that fail to follow road gradients. GCC standards call for drains on roads at least 7m wide, a maximum drain size of 600×750 mm, tops 6 inches above road level, and inlet chambers and silt catch pits every 30m.

Residents in Vyasarpadi, Perambur, Sunnambu Kolathur and Thalambur highlighted recurring flooding. A 2025 study by Vyasai Thozargal and Chennai Climate Action Group found Vyasarpadi’s drainage affected by encroachments and tidal influence in Captain Cotton Canal, while fly ash deposits covering 492 standard football fields clog Ennore Creek and Kosasthalaiyar. Residents also cited three years without desilting near Tsunami Canal and sewage pollution in Alapakkam and Korattur lakes. Manifesto demands include restoring canals, tracking desilting and completing underground sewage schemes in six southern suburbs.