• Major hotel chains plan to set up hotels in Chennai along OMR, ECR, Egmore and the industrial belts.
• Chennai’s total hotel room inventory is expected to rise by 40% by 2030.
• Demand is being driven mainly by business travel, weddings and the MICE segment: meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.
• OMR is expected to strengthen as a second business district.
• ECR is expected to grow as a weddings-and-MICE destination.
• The Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial belt is expected to emerge as a hub for business hotels.
• The expansion is linked to rising business travel, events and steady infrastructure growth.

The Nungambakkam subway on Nelson Manickam Road is heavily damaged with potholes. Repair work worth nearly 1 crore has been stalled due to delays in traffic diversion approvals from Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials. The stretch serves as a crucial link for Anna Nagar, Aminjikarai, Nungambakkam and Egmore, and is used by school and college students from Loyola College and Women's Christian College. It provides access to hospitals in the locality. The subway experiences heavy vehicular flow throughout the day including frequent ambulance movement, school traffic and office commuters. Teachers report the uneven surface poses risks to school students travelling with parents on bikes.

Chennai Corporation plans to relay 8 arterial roads and 242 interior roads, totalling 250 roads, at Rs 53 crore cost; additional Rs 1 crore for project management consultant.

Arterial roads to be relaid:

• MMDA second and third main road
• TNPSC road (Fazer bridge)
• Gandhi Irwin bridge, Egmore
• Nelson Manickam Road (2km)
• Sterling road, Nungambakkam (1km)
• 70 feet road, Perambur
• Sterling Avenue road, Nungambakkam

Zones covered: Royapuram, Teynampet, Perungudi, Sholinganallur, Manali, Madhavaram.

Interior roads in Manali zone include Manali New Town 150 feet Main Road, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar extension, Kalaignar Nagar, Ariyalur Pond Road, Kambar first and second main road. Royapuram zone roads include Barracks First Lane, Ezhil Nagar, Alwarpet lane. Teynampet zone: Sivan Koil street, Dayal Nagar. Other zones: Anna Nagar main and streets (5th, 6th, 7th), Kakkan Street, Madhavaram (Indira Nagar, MMM Garden, JJ Nagar Pond Road).

Roads currently have patch works which may wear off during rains. Consultant appointed for 3 months to review contractor progress, prepare weekly inspection reports, check compliance to specifications, detail defects, and issue completion certificate.