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.
