The Times of India 01.09.2009
Municipalities debate preparedness for monsoon
CHENNAI: Monsoon preparedness topped the agenda of the council meeting of Alandur and Pallavaram municipalities on Monday, with councillors blaming municipal authorities for not taking adequate measures before the rains.
Alandur councillors held the municipal staff responsible for the mounting garbage on roadsides. It is a major health hazard and rains make it worse, mixing garbage with slush on the roads. "Water logging has become a big problem in my ward which has several low-lying areas. The local body should take adequate action in facing the monsoon," said V Eswaraprasad councillor of 13th ward, Alandur.
Opposition leader V N P Venketraman urged the local body to speedup development works before the rainy season begins. "Why should the municipality wait till the monsoon sets in. It has to complete the works as quickly as possible. At every council meeting, we have been raising the issue of water shortage, but not even once our grievances have been addressed. The municipality should come up with a plan to tap the large amount of rain water, which get stagnated in the nearby Tirisulam hillocks, for secondary usages such as washing, bathing, gardening and cleaning purposes," he added.
Alandur municipality sanitary officer protested against the charges levied by 11th ward councillor N Perumal that the municipal staff, especially the sanitary officer, has been neglecting his ward despite repeated requests to clean construction debris dumped all over the area. Alandur municipality chairman A Duraivel pacified the agitated councillors and assured that efforts would be taken to make roads motorable by cleaning the sludge in the storm water drainage system.
The Pallavaram council meet saw councillors raising slogans against the local body for not taking adequate measures in preventing H1N1 flu. The death of V Sekar, a 42-year-old resident of Radha Nagar in Chrompet due to swine flu prominently figured at the one-hour council meeting. "Despite a death, the local body has not taken any precautionary measures such as conducting health camps in schools and colleges within the municipality limits. No efforts are made on educating people on preventive measures," said V Muthu, 6th ward councillor of Pallavaram municipality.
However, the Pallavaram municipal chairman, E Karunanidhi, said that the person, who died in Radha Nagar, already had many other diseases before falling sick with the flu. On the measures taken by the local body, municipal chairman Karunanidhi, who also represents 26th ward in Pallavaram municipality, told TOI that distribution of pamphlets and medical health camps in schools and colleges and other precautionary measures to prevent swine flu has been undertaken by the local body along with residential welfare associations within the municipality premises. "To mitigate water shortage, we are planning to have 100 borewells in areas such as Old Pallavaram. We also plan to desilt the choked sewage drains and water bodies in the municipality to prevent water logging," he added.
The 42-member Alandur municipality passed 54 subjects that came up for approval of the councillors at the meeting while the 42-member Pallavaram municipality passed 21 subjects in its meeting.
