Greater Chennai Corporation 4.15

The Chennai Municipal Corporation, formerly known as the Corporation of Madras, is the civic body that governs the city of Chennai, India. Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a Royal Charter issued by King James II on 30 December 1687 as the Corporation of Madras, it is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside Great Britain. It is headed by a mayor, who presides over 200 councillors each of whom represents one of the 200 wards of the city. It is also the second oldest corporation in the world, after the city of Government of Tamil Nadu announced for upgrade of Thanjavur Special Grade Municipality to City Municipal Corporation of Thanjavur. Thanjavur City Municipal Corporation is a civic body that governs Thanjavur city, India. This corporation consist of 51 wards and the legislative body is headed by an elected Chairperson assisted by a Deputy Chairperson and 49 councillors who represent each wards in the city. This will be upgraded to Mayor and Deputy-Mayor in near future.HistoryThe Madras Corporation is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1688 to control the powers of the Governor of Madras, Elihu Yale. The Corporation was created by a Royal Charter issued on 30 December 1687 by King James II on the advice of the chairman of the East India Company, Josiah Child, on the model of Dutch Government in the East Indies. The charter constituted the existing town of Fort St. George and all the territories belonging to the town, not exceeding a distance of ten miles from the Fort, into a Corporation. The Parliamentary Act of 1792 conferred the new Corporation power to levy municipal taxes in the city. The municipal administration also commenced from this act, making provision for the administration of the city. The Municipal Act continued to be amended, constantly introducing major changes in the constitution and powers of the Corporation from time to time.