The Hindu 07.08.2013
Deposit by instalment for Underground Sewerage System connection
As the much-awaited Underground Sewerage System (UGSS)
got a lukewarm response with many households opting to use septic tanks
or let the sewage in open drain, Ramanathapuram Municipality has decided
to collect the deposit amount of Rs.7,000 for domestic connections in
three instalments. Following reports that people were finding it
difficult to pay the deposit of Rs.7,000 at one go, the Municipality had
recently adopted a resolution, authorising the authorities to collect
the deposit in three instalments for both domestic and non-domestic
(Rs.15,000) consumers, A.Mathivanan, Municipal Engineer and Commissioner
in-charge, said on Tuesday.
The residents were also
required to spend Rs.2,500 on building an inspection chamber and pay
Rs.150 towards establishment charges. Even after relaxing the payment
norms, the response was poor, he said, adding that the Municipality
wanted to give 10,505 connections to domestic and non-domestic
consumers, and had provided 2,000 connections so far.
The
residents were reluctant as almost all of them had septic tank
facilities and the Municipality could not make the sewage connections
mandatory for households for various reasons, he added. Launched in
2007, the ambitious UGSS project was completed in December last and the
Municipality started providing connections from January this year, he
said. After completing the project at a total cost of Rs.31.51 crore
with the setting up of five pumping stations and two sewerage treatment
plants (STP) – each with a capacity to treat 3.5 million litres of
sewage – the Municipality expected good response from the public but
there were not many takers, he said.
Mr.Mathivanan said the pumping stations and the STPs were functioning well.