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Subways, bridges beautification work on

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Source : The Hindu Date : 02.07.2009

Subways, bridges beautification work on

Deepa H Ramakrishnan


Corporation recently issued work order for beautification of a pedestrian footpath on the Binny Road bridge


— Photo: R. Ravindran

SET FOR A MAKEOVER: The pedestrian subway near Kannagi Statue on Kamarajar Salai is one of the facilities that will be improved by the Chennai Corporation.

CHENNAI: As part of its efforts to make subways and bridges bright and colourful, the Chennai Corporation has commenced beautification work on several such facilities.

It recently issued the work order for the beautification of a pedestrian footpath on a bridge on Binny Road and the work has commenced.

As part of the Rs.14.90-lakh work, the civic body plans to replace the hand railing with a wall, paste colourful tiles and relay the footpath. The bridge, which is nearly 50 years old, was last widened in 1993. Hundreds of pedestrians, particularly students of colleges, use the bridge over the Cooum connecting Binny Road and Ethiraj Salai.

The side walls of Parthasarathy Bridge, situated in Mint, would be covered with large tiles.

Though glazed tiles are being pasted in other bridges, the civic body has gone for bigger tiles as the area to be covered is quite large. The estimated project cost would be Rs.46.91 lakh and tenders opened on Friday, an official of Chennai Corporation said.

A pedestrian subway near Kannagi Statue on Kamarajar Salai would be renovated using granite slabs on the side walls and the floor. Additional lighting and new stainless steel hand rails are also to be provided under the Rs.33.60-lakh project.

For the proposed greening of space beneath the flyover on G.N. Chetty Road, bids received from various contractors are being scrutinised. The project is estimated to cost Rs.7.35 lakh.

Work on the beautification of a vehicular subway at Nelson Manickam Road in Nungambakkam at the cost of Rs.35 lakh using glazed tiles depicting the culture and heritage of the State is in progress.

An official of the Corporation said that the beautification efforts were part of the measures to make travelling a little more pleasurable for the residents. Mayor M. Subramanian had announced these works in the budget for this fiscal.

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 July 2009 07:47
 

Consumer body calls for transparency in releasing water connections

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Source : The Hindu Date : 02.07.2009

Consumer body calls for transparency in releasing water connections

Special Correspondent

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Consumer Cause has called for transparency in the process of releasing drinking water connections for multi-storeyed apartments.

In a letter to the Secretary of Municipal Administration and Water Supply, the consumer welfare organisation’s secretary, K. Kathirmathiyon, said there were no clearly prescribed norms for the release of the connections.

He also alleged that there was discrepancy and discrimination in the release of connection and the quantum of water supplied to the consumers in different flats.

While some apartments had three or four individual connections, some others were provided with only one connection (bulk connection).

Even for apartments with 40 houses only one connection was provided and in some it was two.

Promoters of apartments claimed in their advertisements that adequate water would be available.

In case of individual houses everyone was aware that they would be given one separate water connection.

But in case of flats no one was sure of the quantum of water that they would receive and no norms were prescribed.

It may be based on availability of water / pressure etc., at a particular place.

But no mechanism was in place for the people to know the facts about the supply.

The number of connections and size of the pipe should be proportionate to the number of flats.

If the Coimbatore Corporation was not in a position to provide adequate water in a particular area, it should not approve the construction of flats there.

The Corporation had a separate water scheme for the city and the wayside towns were able to get a small amount of water from the Corporation for their needs.

While the Corporation was very cautious on providing water connections to the flats, the Executive Officers of the Town Panchayats around the Corporation were “very generous” in providing the connections.

An apartment of 40 flats in the Corporation area was provided with one connection and in some cases two.

But in town panchayats such as Vadavalli 52 individual connections had been provided to as many flats.

For an apartment with 82 flats, 82 individual connections were provided.

This “generosity” totally affected the distribution of water to the individual houses elsewhere in the town.

Therefore, it was important that the Government issue clear guidelines on the number of connections to be released for apartments, the consumer activist said.

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 July 2009 07:43
 

Pallavaram sewerage project cost has shot up to Rs.74 crore, council told

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Source : The Hindu Date : 02.07.2009

Pallavaram sewerage project cost has shot up to Rs.74 crore, council told

Special Correspondent

TAMBARAM: The cost of the ongoing underground drainage project in the Pallavaram Municipality has risen to more than double its original estimate, the local body’s council was informed on Tuesday.

At a meeting of the municipal council, the elected representatives were informed by municipal chairman E. Karunanidhi that the cost had been revised for the second time since the project work began in January 2006, and had now been put at Rs.74 crore. Construction of more pumping stations, increased cost of construction material, workers’ wages and road cutting charges to be paid to the Highways Department were the three main reasons for the increase in the project cost, Mr. Karunanidhi said.

Three additional pumping stations would be built at Nemilichery, Shankar Nagar and on Anjaneyar Koil Street. The entire project had been split into five packages with the first three pertaining to sinking of domestic lines. Package four comprised the construction of sub-pumping stations and lift stations, while the final package covered the construction of a main pumping station and lines to transport sewage from this facility to the treatment plant at Perungudi.

The original estimate was Rs.36 crore. When preliminary works began, the project cost was revised to Rs.47 crore. Now, the second revision had hiked this to Rs.74 crore. A section of the councillors expressed the fear that ultimately, the residents of the local body would have to bear the brunt of the increased project cost.

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 July 2009 07:37
 


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