Urban News

The Hindu      24.11.2010

Collector inspects water bodies in Salem city

— Photos: P. Goutham

Copious inflow: Collector J. Chandrakumar (first right) inspecting the Mookeneri Lake in Salem on Tuesday. (Right) The ATC Nagar culvert was submerged following heavy rain.

SALEM: Collector J. Chandrakumar and a team of officials from Revenue, PWD and Salem Corporation on Tuesday inspected various tanks and lakes in the city, which had received copious inflow following heavy rain for the past one week.

He also instructed the officials to better prepare for any eventuality in view of continuous rain and asked the Disaster Management Wing to be on alert.

He said that the Mookeneri Lake, which is being developed by a forum of people's initiative, would be improved further to attract tourists. Boating also would be introduced soon.

The lake's banks would be strengthened and the overflowing water would be diverted to Vedapatti Lake. Kannakurichi Lake also would be developed.

He asked the people not to dump garbage, especially non-biodegradable plastic waste into the tanks and lakes and other water bodies.

Mr. Chandrakumar also visited Ammapet Kumaragiri Lake and Pudueri Lake too.

Salem, the Collector said, had recorded good rainfall this year when compared to a few years in the past. The district had so far recorded 1,044 mm of rains when compared to the last year's 710.5 mm. Many of lakes and tanks also had received copious inflows.

A report pointed out that 22 tanks out of the total 107 tanks maintained by the PWD in the district had filled up to the brim while 18 of them had filled up 50 per cent and 46 with 25 per cent.

No water shortage

“Since the district has recorded healthy rainfall and Mettur Dam also has adequate storage, water shortage will not be there both for drinking water purposes and irrigation needs,” he said. Salem Corporation Commissioner Dr. K.S. Palanisamy and other officials accompanied the Collector.

Meanwhile rains had brought good inflows into district's reservoirs. The water level of Anaimaduvu reservoir stood at 41.50 feet against its full reservoir level of 67.25 feet while Kariakoil Dam reached 50.50 feet against its full level of 52.50 feet. A total of 220 cusecs was being let in to River Vashishta. The water level of Mettur Dam on Tuesday morning stood at 112.870 feet against full reservoir level of 120 feet with an inflow of 14,885 cusecs.

Rainfall recorded

The district had received 663.1 mm of rains from southwest monsoon up to September and 338.4 mm from northeast monsoon till today. The average rainfall is 1062.7 mm of rains. Attur registered a rain fall of 31.20 mm for the past 24 hours ending at 8 am on Tuesday followed by Mettur 30.60 mm, Salem 21.90 mm, Omalur 19 mm, Yercaud 17.80 mm and Vazhapadi 11mm. Heavy overnight rain had also left the ATC Nagar residents in Ward 5 marooned. The culvert that led to their colony got submerged leaving school going children and office goers in distress. Students and teachers of Udayapatti Union School staged road blockade demanding the removal of encroachments in water carrying channels since the rain waters had entered the school.

The Hindu      12.11.2010

Corporation contractor attacked

TIRUNELVELI: All ongoing development works being implemented through the contractors within the Corporation limits are about to come to a grinding halt as one of the leading contractors here was thrashed by a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam councillor and his friend on the premises of Palayamkottai Zonal office on Thursday.

S. Edison (38) of Perumalpuram, in a complaint to Palayamkottai police, said he, after bagging a contract worth Rs. 25 lakh, was constructing a drainage channel at Kakkan Nagar falling under ward 12 of Tirunelveli Corporation.

Money sought

“Even as the construction was going on, ward 12 Councillor A. Durai demanded Rs. 75,000 and I paid it. When he pestered me to pay another Rs. 50,000, I refused as the construction materials' cost had escalated phenomenally. As the problem continued I stopped the work,” Mr. Edison said.

When Mr. Edison resumed the work after Corporation Commissioner N. Subbaiyan recently inspected the construction, the councillorthreatened him that he, a Dalit, would file a case against the former under Protection of Civil Rights Act if his demand was not met.

“When I was about to leave the Palayamkottai Zone premises around 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, I was asked by Junior Engineer Thirugnanasekar to meet Mr. Durai who was standing at a distance. As I refused to give the money again, I was thrashed by Mr. Durai and his associate and former councillor Paappu Kumar slapped me with footwear,” alleged Mr. Edison, who filed a police complaint around 3 p.m.

Contractors on warpath

Meanwhile, corporation contractors have decided to stop all ongoing works if attacks against them continued.

“Even as the contractors are facing a lot of problems from some people here, they are being threatened and attacked. If this situation continues, we'll be forced to stop all works,” said Jebarajan, another leading contractor, who was recently threatened by the anti-socials when he went to the corporation administrative office to file the tenders for Rs. 25 crore-worth road laying projects.

Corporation offers protection

Admitting that he came to know about the incident, Dr. Subbaiyan told ‘The Hindu' that the corporation administration was prepared to extend cooperation to any contractor, who could ensure highest quality in their work. “I inspected the drainage channel work at Kakkan Nagar recently… If they (contractors) can ensure better quality, they need not give money to anybody. We'll even protect them,” assured Dr. Subbaiyan.

Mayor A.L. Subramanian also noted that he would strive to sort out the problem amicably.