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Corporation council gives nod for strengthening road infrastructure

Tuesday, 23 March 2010 06:16 administrator
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The Hindu 23.03.2010

Corporation council gives nod for strengthening road infrastructure

Staff Reporter

— Photo: N. Rajesh

In public interest:D. Raja, CPI(M) councillor, speaking at the corporation council meeting in Tuticorin on Monday.

Tuticorin: Nod for strengthening road infrastructure was given at the urgent corporation council meeting convened here on Monday. During the meeting, Mayor R. Kasthuri Thangam, who presided over, gave her nod for the project to strengthen roads in the underground drainage pipeline laying work site at an estimated cost of Rs. 12 crore. Work on as many as 37 main roads over a stretch of about 35 km would be taken up.

Meanwhile D. Raja (CPI-M), 46th ward councillor, raised the issue of scanty supply of drinking water to the residents. “The drinking water supply has been curtailed for now. The residents are able to get drinking water once in four days a week. Previously, the supply was maintained once in three days,” the Mayor said adding that adequate storage of water was available and it was due to load shedding that there were some problems. But the problem would be sorted out soon, she assured.

Deputy Mayor Thommai Yesuadiyan, Commissioner of Corporation P. Kubendran were present.

However, the AIADMK councillors abstained from attending the meeting. Speaking to reporters outside the council hall, the AIADMK councillors alleged that the demands represented by them during the corporation meeting were not taken into consideration.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 06:17
 

Mayor more miserly than Uncle Scrooge

Friday, 19 March 2010 11:19 administrator
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The New Indian Express 19.03.2010

Mayor more miserly than Uncle Scrooge

G Babu Jayakumar


CHENNAI: Mayor M Subramaniam and several Chennai Corporation councillors have put stingy Uncle Scrooge, a Walt Disney character, to shame. The local body keeps enhancing the allocation for the Ward Development Funds and Mayor Special Development Fund, but the worthies just don’t believe in spending them for Chennai’s development. What is more, three councilors have not spent even a paise of their fund share for the past three years.

However, there is one difference. While penny-pinching helps Scrooge McDuck stay as the world’s richest duck, the councilors forfeit the unspent sum at the end of each financial year.

Over the years, the allocation for each councilor has increased from Rs 7 lakh in 2005-06 to Rs 25 lakh in 2009-10. For the Mayor, the fund went up from Rs 50 lakh in 2005-06 to Rs 2 crore in 2009-2010.

The gross under-utilisation of funds, brought to light through an RTI application filed by activist V Madhav, makes you wonder why the Corporation, in its latest budget, proposed a further hike in the Ward Development Fund for the next year to Rs 30 lakh.

The Corporation’s reply to the RTI application reveals that at least 17 councillors are yet to spend a paise from their kitty for the current financial year.

The mayor spend just Rs 9.71 lakh of the Rs 2 crore he is entitled to till the end of the third-quarter of this year. His past record too has been abysmal: In the first four years of his tenure from 2005-06 to 2008-09 the allotment was Rs 50 lakh a year, so he could spend a maximum of Rs 2 crore. Yet, the mayor spent less than one-fourth of that sum: Rs 45 lakh. In 2006-07, he did not touch the funds at all.

In 2009-10, out of the total outlay of Rs 38.75 crore - Rs 25 lakh for each of the 155 councillors - just over Rs 9.74 crore was utilised during the three-quarters of the year, which amounts to less than 25 per cent. Though the earlier three years saw a tad better utilisation, never was the entire fund spend.

The three councillors who spent zilch in the last three financial years, including the present one, are S Kalavathi (Ward100), G Ekappan (Ward 101) and S Selvi (Ward 111), all from Zone 7. The councillors who have not any money during the three-quarters of the current financial year in zones I, VI, VII and VIII are: M Govindasamy (Congress), S Venkatesan (DMK), J Krishnamurthy (DMK), S Kalavathi (PMK), G Ekappan (DMK), N Balakrishnan (PMK), A Rajathi (DMK), NM Abdul Majid (DMK), V Ganesan (DMK), S Selvi (DMK), MP Anbudurai (DMK), V Christie (DMK), Saidai P Ravi (A) Rangaramanujam (Congress), SP Viswanathan (Congress), K Jayanthi (DMK), Pushparoot (DMK) and Radha Sambanthan (DMK).

Last Updated on Friday, 19 March 2010 11:22
 

SHRC tells Metrowater to deal with contamination

Thursday, 18 March 2010 05:05 administrator
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The Hindu 18.03.2010

SHRC tells Metrowater to deal with contamination

K. T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Managing Director of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to deal with the problem of polluted drinking water supply in various areas of Triplicane by giving top priority to it and on a war footing so that normality will be restored.

The Board should also ensure that enough drinking water was supplied through tankers so that the public did not suffer. The Managing Director should send a further report to the Commission within a week. The SHRC also directed the Commissioner, Chennai Corporation, to keep a constant watch and take all preventive measures until normalcy returned.

The Commission Chairperson, Justice A. S.Venkatachalamoorthy passed the interim order after taking suo motu cognisance of a news report in The Hindu on March 5 that residents of Easwaradoss Street, T.P.Koil Street, Car Street, Singarachari Street and South Tank Square Street complained they were receiving sewage-mixed drinking water for over two weeks. The Commission had called for a report from the Chennai Corporation Commissioner and the CMWSSB. In his report, the CMWSSB Managing Director said the water pollution complaint was received on February 26. Immediately, during the site inspection by officials it was found that the water quality in South Tank Square Street and T.P.Koil Street was good. However, pollution was noticed in the other three streets. Work was on to detect the source of pollution.

The Board also detailed the steps taken by it, including supply of water through tankers and tanks. Water mains at Eswaradoss Street, Car Street and Singarachari Street had been isolated to identify the source of pollution. Water supply through tankers would be continued in these streets till the source of pollution was identified and rectified. The exercise is expected to be completed in 10 days. The Corporation Commissioner said the civic body was in no way responsible for the pollution. It had also taken various preventive measures including distribution of chlorine tablets and disinfecting the area concerned. The Corporation was maintaining a constant vigil to prevent outbreak of water-borne diseases. Later, the Commission passed the order.

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 March 2010 05:06
 
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