The Hindu                 30.05.2013

Councillors express concern over illegal water tapping

Officials told to conduct more checks across town.

Councillors of Erode Corporation have expressed serious concern over the rampant tapping of water illegally from its pipelines in several parts of the town.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Councillor S. Thangavel, who raised the issue at the council meeting held here on Wednesday, said many persons were using motors to tap water directly from the Corporation pipelines. People, who depended on the public taps to collect water, were not getting adequate quantity because of the illegal tapping.

Many persons were filling up their tanks by directly tapping the water from the civic body's pipelines, he alleged.

Ward 31 Councillor N. Saraswathi and Ward 32 Councillor V.P. Ilango also echoed similar complaints and urged the civic body to initiate stern action against those who were illegally tapping water.

Admitting that the practice was prevalent in a few areas in the town, Mayor Mallika Paramasivam said that the civic body had been conducting drives at frequent intervals to check the illegal tapping of water.

She instructed the officials to conduct more checks across the town to curb the practice.

Councillors also expressed serious concern over the high expenditure towards maintaining of borewells in the town and appealed to the civic body to purchase adequate equipment to bring down the cost.

Equipment

Many Councillors, including that of the ruling AIADMK, suggested that the civic body should have its own equipment like chain pulley block for maintaining borewells instead of depending on the private operators.

There would be a constant requirement for the equipment in the future as the civic body had planned to sink more than 100 borewells in different parts of the town. As many parts were experiencing severe water shortage, the civic officials had already commenced the works for sinking borewells at 25 places. Works would start in another 34 places shortly.

The civic body received about Rs. 1.70 crore from the State government for sinking borewells. It had planned to meet the additional expenditure from its General Fund.

The Mayor admitted that the civic administration would have a constant requirement for chain pulley block and other equipment to maintain borewells. “We will positively consider this suggestion and take steps to purchase equipment for maintaining borewells,” she added.

Deputy Mayor K.C. Palanisamy, Corporation Commissioner M. Vijayalakshmi, Executive Engineer Arumugam and senior officials were present in the meeting.