Urban News

The Hindu 05.04.2010

Plan to contain rodent menace

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation will soon float tenders inviting bids from firms providing measures to contain rodent menace in the city.

The move follows complaints from residents of several areas, in particular those of north Chennai. S.Annadurai, a resident of Ayanavaram, said that in the last one month he had caught about 10 rats in his house.

“Ours is an apartment complex with 300 houses and all the residents face the problem.”

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said that the civic body was working out the modalities of the project. “We are in discussion with the Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation as it has such a programme. A couple of MNCs have evinced interest in the project. These are part of our efforts to improve public health. The number of leptospirosis cases can be brought down,” he added.

The rodent menace has forced the Corporation to construct only concrete stormwater drains. “The rats gnaw away at bricks, which were used in earlier constructions. They also eat through PVC pipes carrying sewage,” said an official of the civic body.

In the last one month, the civic body closed down 25 cattle sheds along the Cooum and another 23 would be shut down soon. To control mosquitoes 3 new kinds of traps will be bought at Rs.55,000 each, to be kept at parks.

The Hindu 23.03.2010

Four scheme roads to be laid every year in city

Special Correspondent

Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

ENVISAGING DEVELOPMENT:Coimbatore Corporation's Finance and Taxation Committee Chairman R. Nandakumar (second right) presents copies of the Corporation budget to Mayor R. Venkatachalam (second left) at the Corporation Council on Monday. Deputy Mayor N. Karthik (left), Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra (third right) and Congress Floor Leader in the Council R.S. Thirumugham (right) are in the picture.

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation has decided to lay four scheme roads in the city every financial year.

This was announced in the budget presented in the Corporation Council on Monday by Finance and Taxation Committee Chairman in the civic body R. Nandakumar. Mayor R. Venkatachalam, Deputy Mayor N. Karthik and Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra were present.

The Coimbatore Local Planning Authority had proposed 170 scheme roads, but the source of funding had not been identified. The Corporation had recently taken up three scheme road works (widening and re-laying of existing stretches) in view of the World Classical Tamil Conference to be held here from June 23 to 27.

These works would be carried out at a cost of Rs. 13.25 crore, with the funds coming from the Local Planning Authority. But, the Corporation would lay one road in each of the four zones during every financial year to meet the target of 170 roads. The budgetary allocation for the 2010-2011 financial year was Rs.2 crore for the formation of a road and this included land acquisition.

In keeping with the National Policy on Street Vendors, the Corporation would earmark vendor zones in the city.

Ward fund

A sum of Rs. 5 lakh would be provided to each of the 72 wards as Councillors' Special Fund in order to carry out development works or improvements to existing basic amenities.

The councillors had been appealing for the fund so that the works could be carried out without the procedural delay that was normally involved in the release of funds.

The budget allocated Rs. 2.5 crore for the coming financial year to construct a four-way subway at Gandhipuram and a subway to connect Vincent Road at Ukkadam with the habitation across the Sungam-Ukkadam Bypass Road.

The allocated amount would be used for building a foot overbridge on Mettupalayam Road (near Avinashilingam University) and on Tiruchi Road near the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.

The budget also announced an allocation of Rs.6 crore for laying footpath at Gandhipuram, Cross-Cut Road, Azhagappa Road and Goods Shed Road (west of the railway junction).

The Mayor said after the budget presentation that the focus was on development. While some schemes focussed on major infrastructure development, the ones for subways and footpaths were equally significant as they were in the interests of the common people.

A sum of Rs. 50 lakh would be spent on modernising Tyagi Kumaran Market and Anna Market on Mettupalayam Road. Adequate parking facility would be provided at these markets.

A biomass gasifier crematorium each would be built at Singanallur and on Sathyamangalam Road at Rs. 2 crore.