The Hindu 22.12.2009

Rs.113-cr. infrastructure improvement plan for Coimbatore

Staff Reporter

Coimbatore: The Coimbatore City Development Committee, led by Mayor R. Venkatachalam, has decided to improve the infrastructure before the World Classical Tamil Conference in June 2010.

A meeting presided over by the Mayor was attended by Deputy Mayor N. Karthik, Collector P. Umanath, Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra and Special Officer for the conference S. Prabhakaran.Mr. Venkatachalam said that the primary focus of the committee before commencement of the conference would be to enhance infrastructure relating to roads, drinking water and street lights and widen minor bridges.

The focus would be on town panchayats and municipality limits in and around the city.

The Mayor said that proposals had been drawn up for executing the works, which would be taken up with an outlay of Rs.113 crore. As many as 47 parks across the city would be given a facelift.

Mr. Umanath said that streetlights would get top attention. Efforts would be made to replace the bus shelters on the lines of those near the Marina in Chennai. The Collector asked the TNEB to expedite work on laying of underground cables on Avanashi Road and Tiruchi Road so that road improvement works could be taken up.

He promised to examine a point raised by the TWAD Board for increasing drinking water sump capacity from 30,000 litres to two lakh litres at an outlay of Rs. 8 lakh near CODISSIA. There will be enhanced focus on link and scheme roads before the conference begins, the Mayor said.

The Hindu 22.12.2009

Proposal to raise water charges rejected again

Special Correspondent

Photo:S. Siva Saravanan

DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: Mayor R. Venkatachalam (second left) addressing an all-party meeting on various development schemes at the Coimbatore Corporation on Monday. Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra (left) is in the picture. –

COIMBATORE: Success eluded the Coimbatore Corporation again on Monday in its effort to raise the drinking water charges. An all-party meeting held at the Corporation saw heads of parties in the Council rejecting again the proposal for the increase.

The Corporation had placed before the Council some months ago, the proposal from the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration for increasing the charges. After scrutiny of the rates approved by parties, the Commissionerate had proposed an increase over these by citing viability, especially in terms of funds needed for the maintenance of the water schemes.

The revised rates were placed in the Council first. But, these were rejected by the parties. They wanted the Corporation to convene an all-party meeting to discuss this issue.

But, the proposal had been shuttling between the Council and the conference hall of the Corporation where the all-party meetings were held, as the elected representatives kept rejecting it.

They contended that an increase in the charges would inconvenience the people.

When the proposal was taken up for discussion at the all-party meeting on Monday, the representatives of the parties wanted it to be discussed at the next meeting of the Council.

City expansion

The meeting also discussed a proposal to expand the city area. The Corporation had been considering an expansion for over a year.

The plan was to add to the Corporation some of the local bodies on its boundary. The objective was to enable speedy development in these areas that were already witnessing hectic housing activity.

These suburbs, also called peri-urban areas, were already chosen for the urban agglomeration component of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for infrastructure development.

Sources in the Corporation said the plan was to increase the city area from the present 105 sq.km. to 400 sq.km.

The present population of the city was a little more than 10 lakh and the areas targeted for expansion had another six lakh.

Councillors said at the all-party meeting that the city could be expanded. But, there would be more discussion on the extent of expansion.

Drainage

It was announced at the meeting that underground drainage connections could be provided to the new houses for slum dwellers by waiving the connection charges. The houses were being constructed under the Basic Services for Urban Poor project of the JNNURM. The drainage scheme was also being implemented under the mission.

Welcoming the move, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Communist Party of India and some other parties also called for the waiver of monthly user charges. The Corporation said this was not possible and that a nominal charge would have to be collected.