The Times of India                  12.03.2013  

Budget ignores water crisis and mosquito menace

MADURAI: Though the city
faces acute water shortages which may worsen in summer, the Madurai
civic corporation failed to set aside any funds to identify new water
sources or improve water supply in its budget. Similarly, the budget is
silent on measures to tackle the raging mosquito menace.

CPM
councillor M Chellam pointed out that there are no provisions for
drinking water facilities in the budget. “In many places in the city,
the drinking water is running on the streets due to old pipe lines.
There should be more funds on improving the drinking water supply to the
city,” she stressed.

After the monsoons failed in the region
and with drought-like conditions prevailing, the prospects of drinking
water crisis are real. There were several protests and road picketing in
many places in the city over inadequate water supply. Without proper
drinking water supply, the extended areas are reeling under severe
drinking water crisis.

Strangely, the corporation has earmarked only Rs 33.80 crore as water supply expenditureunder the Integrated Urban Development Mission, while another Rs 90 lakh is allotted for maintenance of pipe lines.

DMK floor leader, M L Raj strongly criticised the city corporation for
failing to address the water crisis come out with water projects on
drinking water issues. “Drinking water is the need of the hour with
drought conditions looming and without any solid projects on that, how
the budget could be effective? The budget is old wine in new bottle
without any substance in it,” he charged.

Raj also came down heavily on the AIADMK-ruled corporation for not distributing the budget copies ahead of the session.

However, at the budget meeting the AIADMK councillors pinned hopes on
luck rather than on any concrete measures to address the water issue in
the cityseem to be least bothered about the drought condition. They
expressed that the rain gods will favour their administration. P
Kasiraman, AIADMK councillor from ward 62, told the council not to be
afraid of the drinking water situation. “Rains will be certain during
Amma’s reign,” he said cheerfully.

The budget also disappointed
to provide funds for mosquito-control measures. K Rajapandian, AIADMK’s
Zone 1 chairman, said the corporation should have set aside sizeable
funds for this is, as the problem is severe within the city limits. “The
corporation had sanctioned Rs 1.2 crore last year for mosquito control
but ended up spending much higher. Only fogging is used to control it at
present and it appears futile as mosquito menace keeps increasing,” he
pointed out.

Chellam also seconded his opinion saying that the
fogging machines available with corporation will not be sufficient and
corporation should spend more on mosquito control, she stressed.

When contacted, corporation commissioner R Nanthagopal said that there
is no need to identify any new drinking water source since the present
sources like Vaigai Reservoir and drinking water schemes are sufficient.
“The only concern is the rain and we can manage with the present
storage till monsoon starts,” he said. On mosquito control, he commented
that the corporation had set aside sufficient funds under health
expenditure and they are going to form an entomologists’ team at the
zonal level to contain the problem.