Chennai Corporation councillors have called for the civic body to return to zone-wise roadwork tenders. They say the present system with large packages causes delays, poor work, and corruption. The DMK had promised in its 2021 Assembly election manifesto to change the system but has not done so. Ward 4 Councillor R. Jayaraman said when one contractor covers many roads in areas like Tiruvottiyur, Sholinganallur, and Ambattur, quality suffers. "Contractors with connections to the ruling party often dodge responsibilities, ignore residents and local authorities, and compromise on quality," he said. Jayaraman added, "In my ward, relaying roads took over eight months even after the tender was finalised, yet the resurfaced roads had to be redone because the work was uneven and substandard." He also noted that the large package system started under the AIADMK government and caused many problems. Several DMK councillors from new areas said opposition members can complain freely, but ruling party councillors face restrictions. A councillor explained, "Zone-wise tenders would allow the fining or blacklisting of contractors in case of repeated defaults without disrupting work across multiple locations." A member of the Standing Committee (Works) said tenders follow Corporation standard operating procedures (SOPs) that limit participants to four or five. "Only if the SOPs are changed—especially rules related to clearance from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)—can roadwork tenders be issued zone-wise," the member said. He added, "Relaxing TNPCB norms may impact the environment, obviously. But, some considerations can be made for important basic services; this can be considered."