Urban News

The Hindu       12.11.2010

Mass Rapid Transit System to come up in Tirupur

Tirupur: A Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) will come up in Tirupur as a possible alternative to overcome traffic congestions faced by commuters in the city if the suggestion put forward by different stakeholders got materialised. MRTS is a successful concept tried out in many cities across the globe, providing a seamless travel in public transport services.This was among many suggestions by people from different strata of society who took part in the deliberations organised by the district administration here recently to elicit public opinion to prepare a comprehensive city development plan. The city development plan is being prepared by the district administration taking into account a holistic view on the infrastructure needs of the city in 2016 for an estimated population of 17.29 lakh. The city, presently spread over an area of 27.19 sq km with a population of 3.44 lakh, will be expanded to 175.3 sq km with 5.48 lakh people once the 15 Velampalayam and Nallur municipalities along with the Chettipalayam, Neruparichal, Mannarai, Thottipalayam, Aandipalayam, Muthanampalayam, Veerapandi and Murugampalaym are merged into it next year.

For decongesting the traffic, it was also planned to improve the ring roads in the city at Rs. 600 crore so that vehicles cutting through the city roads to reach peripheral towns till now could be phased out.

Collector C. Samayamoorthy told The Hindu that another project, with its conception already into an advanced stage, would be an elevated corridor to connect the Tirupur-Palladam road with the road network on the other side of River Noyyal for a length of about 4 km.

The Hindu      03.11.2010

Rs.5.22 crore for upgrading roads: Collector

C. Rajendran

VELLORE: A sum of Rs.5.22 crore has been sanctioned by the State government for taking up 24 works connected with the upgrading of 13.14 km of roads in Vellore Corporation under the Special Roads Scheme during the current financial year, according to C. Rajendran, Collector of Vellore.

He was speaking at the Local Bodies Day Celebration 2010 organised by the Vellore Corporation here on Monday. Mr. Rajendran said that a sum of Rs.45 crore has been allotted for 358 works relating to the upgrade of 150 km of roads in the 13 municipalities in Vellore district. The local bodies, which have the responsibility of fulfilling the basic civic needs of the people, form the foundation of a democratic government. Referring to the complaints about the hardships caused to the residents during the rainy season by the trenches dug for the underground drainage scheme (UGS), which remained unclosed, the Collector said that the officials concerned were monitoring the work of the contractors every week.

C. Gnanasekaran, Vellore MLA, said that though the Rs.19.25-crore integrated drinking water supply scheme bringing water from the confluence of Ponnai and Palar rivers is standing the Vellore Corporation and Sathuvachari Municipality in good stead during the summer season, the water resources under the scheme would last only for about another two years because of the indiscriminate sand mining in the rivers. A permanent solution to the chronic water problem of Vellore Corporation lay in the implementation of the Rs.1,398-crore scheme of bringing water from the Cauvery river near Mettur, as announced by Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during his recent visit to Vellore, he said.

Referring to the hardships caused to residents on account of the failure to close the trenches dug for the UGS, Mr. Gnanasekaran said that the residents would be able tolerate the hardships, though temporary, taking into account the later benefit accruing from the scheme. He requested the Collector and the Corporation Commissioner to take steps to ensure that the roads, which became undulated on account of the digging of the trenches, were levelled after expediting the laying of the branch pipelines linking the houses with the main pipelines, and renovated within a month. He requested the officials to readily fulfil the demands made by the Corporation councillors, who voiced the problems faced by the public in their wards.

P. Karthikeyan, Mayor of Vellore who presided, said that the Vellore Corporation had been administered well in the last four years.

He acknowledged the role of the Vellore MP and Vellore MLA in sanctioning funds under the MPs Local Area Development Scheme and the Constituency Development Fund respectively for sanctioning funds for implementing schemes to tide over the water scarcity in Vellore. He also thanked the Collector for having sanctioned Rs.55 lakh for solving the water problem.

T.A. Mohammed Sadique Pasha, Deputy Mayor of the Corporation said that upgrading Vellore Municipality into a Corporation and the desilting of the Nicholson Canal in Vellore were among the significant achievements of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in the State.

Thangamani Anandan, 13th ward councillor, said that the councillors had to bear the brunt of the public wrath when a drainage channel got blocked during rains or when there was acute water scarcity on account of the failure of the monsoon.

K. Srinivasa Gandhi, 25th ward councillor, said that whenever there was some deficiency in service on the part of the Corporation, the councillors were at the receiving end of complaints from the people. So the councillors have a great role in fulfilling the basic needs of the people. R. Vijayashankar, former chairman of the Vellore District Consumers Cooperative Wholesale Stores Limited, said that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had taken steps to provide all the basic facilities of the people of Vellore.

K.R. Selvaraj, Corporation Commissioner welcomed the gathering. E. Devakumar, Corporation Engineer, proposed a vote of thanks.