Urban News

The Hindu       29.11.2010

Opposition parties raise doubts over drinking water project

KAKINADA: Opposition parties are taking objection to the proposed drinking water project to be taken up by the Municipal Corporation with an outlay of Rs. 108 crore. The civic body, which has decided to launch the project keeping in mind the future requirements of the city and began working on it.

Voyants Solutions has prepared the detailed project report.

The objective of this project, being taken up with World Bank funds, is to ensure that there should not be any shortage of drinking water in the city in the next three decades.

Though the project has been approved formally by Special Officer of the Municipal Corporation and district Joint Collector K. Sasidhar, leaders of the Opposition parties are expressing doubts about the viability of the project.

The Telugu Desam Party is seeing the project as an excuse to introduce drinking water meters in the city. Party's city unit president Dusarlapudi Ramana Raju, who dashed a letter to all the officials concerned, opposing the project, said on Sunday that there was no clarity among the officials about the proposed project.

‘Data not provided'

“The officials are not providing the data required even to the elected representatives. They should give all the details in the form of a booklet and explain in detail to the public by convening Grama Sabhas,” he said.

Expressing similar opinion, district president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Y. Malakondaiah said their party would oppose any development against the interest of the common man.

“It is not fair on the part of the officials to chalk out plans to levy additional taxes on the public. The proposed project is against the interests of the poor, as there is no provision of public taps in the project report,” he said, adding that the people were already overburdened with numerous taxes.

The Hindu     27.11.2010

Drinking water project for MM Hills cleared

MYSORE: With the Environmental Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) granting permission to draw a 21-km pipeline from the Cauvery, a major hurdle to the Rs. 27.5- crore drinking water project for Male Mahadeshwara (MM Hills) has been cleared.

The Male Mahadeshwara Temple Authority (MMTA) has already deposited Rs. 13 crore with the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board and earmarked Rs. 14.50 crore for release based on the progress of work. The tender for drawing the pipeline has been finalised and work is scheduled to begin by December-end. MM Hills is famous for the Lord Mahadeshwara temple, which is situated at an altitude of 3,000 ft and surrounded by dense forests of the Eastern Ghats. The temple attracts millions of devotees and nature lovers. However, drinking water is scarce in the area.

It was Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna who envisaged a drinking water project for the region when he was the Chief Minister. Mr. Krishna used to visit MM Hills often as Mahadeshwara is his family deity. The problem of drinking water was brought to his notice on one of these visits and he directed the authorities to prepare a project to supply drinking water from the Cauvery.

According to Kumaraswamy, executive officer of the MMTA, the project was prepared at an estimated cost of Rs. 11 crore. It was decided to take a contribution of Rs. 3 crore from the temple authority and the Government would provide the rest. However, the Tamil Nadu Government objected to the project and approached the court. The MoEF also objected as trees would have to be cut to draw the pipeline from Palar to MM Hills. Hence, the project was stalled for some time.

However, Mr. Krishna took up the matter and assured the MoEF of double the number of trees to be uprooted would be planted, besides agreeing to deposit Rs. 25 lakh for the purpose. Finally, the MoEF relented.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had also promised that the project would be implemented during his recent visit to Gundlupet for participating in the Bhagyalakshmi programme.