The Hindu 30.09.2009
Siruvani supply to be restored to 12 Wards
Special Correspondent
| East Zone will have more Pilloor water to tide over scarcity |
Photo: M. Periasamy 
LONG-PENDING ISSUE: Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra (right) addressing an all-party meeting on Tuesday on changes to Siruvani and Pilloor drinking water supply. Mayor R. Venkatachalam (left) is in the picture. –
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation will restore the supply of Siruvani water in 12 wards and divert the share of Pilloor water provided here to scarcity-hit areas in the east zone of the city.
A decision to this effect was taken at an all-party meeting held by Mayor R. Venkatachalam and Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra. Leaders of all the parties in the Corporation Council, heads of Council Standing Committees and Chairmen of the four zones attended the meeting.
Owing to scarcity of Siruvani water a few years ago, the Corporation diverted Pilloor water to wards 18, 19, 20 and 29 at Sidhapudur, 12, 13, 39, 40 and part of 23 and 24 at Town Hall and wards 70 and 71. The Corporation had laid a pipeline then to link the Pilloor and Siruvani lines so that the Siruvani-deficit areas got Pilloor water.
But, for over a year, areas in the East Zone of the city complained of shortage of Pilloor water. Many of these areas were in Singanallur and Ondipudur.
Corporation sources said the original quota of Pilloor water would be restored to these areas as the Siruvani Dam was full. New pipes would be laid at SIHS Colony, Ondipudur and nearby areas to improve supply. Officials explained at the meeting that the supply was affected now because of low capacity lines.
While the all-party meeting settled the issue of water supply, it did not discuss the proposal to increase the tariff for the drinking water supplied under both the Siruvani and Pilloor schemes.
The moment a mention of the proposal was made, the party leaders and other elected representatives said this could be discussed later.
This was yet another occasion on which the parties rejected any move to discuss the tariff. On earlier occasions, they told the Corporation that it would be unwise to contemplate an increase at a time when drinking water was not sufficient.
Councillors said that the Corporation should think of higher rates only when the situation improved to a position of uninterrupted supply of water.
