The Hindu                   17.04.2013

CM allots funds for new desalination plants

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced an
allocation of over Rs. 2,200 crore for drinking water, road facilities
and street lights in the city.

The allocation
includes funds for two new desalination plants. One will come up in
Nemmeli (where a plant already exists) with a capacity of 150 million
litres per day (mld) and another in Pattipulam with a capacity of 200
mld, which could be increased to 400 mld in the future. Both these
plants will be on the East Coast Road.

Chennai
Metrowater is already preparing a detailed project report for the plant
in Pattipulam, which will be only a few kilometres away from the
facility in Nemmeli.

Making a suo motu statement in
the Assembly, the Chief Minister said the plant in Nemmeli would cost
Rs. 1,000 crore and would come up on a 10.5 acre plot of vacant land,
near the existing desalination plant.

This plant will
take care of the drinking water requirements of the extended areas of
south Chennai. A total of 6.46 lakh people in Alandur, Perungudi,
Kottivakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Sholinganallur,
Karapakkam, Neelankarai, Injambakkam, Semmencherry, Uthandi and
Okkiyam-Thoraipakkam will benefit from the scheme.

The desalination plant in Pattipulam will be completed in four years, she said.

Direct to home

The
Chief Minister also unveiled a Rs. 303.78 crore drinking water scheme
under the Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan, for the current year.
This scheme will ensure that water reaches homes directly through taps
in 14 areas and will benefit 3.47 lakh people. The areas included in the
scheme are: Idayanchavadi, Chadayankuppam, Kadapakkam, Manali,
Soorapattu, Chinnasekkadu, Mugalivakkam, Perungudi and Palavakkam.

A similar scheme is already being implemented in nine areas at a cost of Rs. 192.3 crore.

Sewerage system

Yet
another project was announced for local bodies that have been recently
added to the city limits. This Rs. 121 crore sewerage project will
benefit 80,000 people in Kathirvedu, Surapet, Nolambur and Mugalivakkam.

Ms.
Jayalalithaa said electric streetlights would also be installed in
these extended areas. At total of 1,10,000 lights would be installed at a
cost of Rs. 300 crore.

Integrated roads

Pointing
out that integrated road facilities had been provided to the
recently-added areas, the Chief Minister said in 2013-14, integrated
roads would be laid spanning 225 km. The project cost is Rs. 290 crore.

These
integrated roads would have stormwater drainages, street lights,
footpaths, and ducts for various services. She said in 2011-12 the
government had spent Rs. 333.27 crore to lay integrated roads covering
175.36 km. This was followed by a Rs. 253 crore project in 2012-13. This
covered 122 km along interior roads.