The Hindu 30.07.2009
Tiruchi qualifies for Centre’s urban development project
Special Correspondent
| Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission |
— PHOTO: R. M. RAJARATHINAM 
For the better: Mayor S. Sujatha chairing a meeting of the Corporation Council in Tiruchi on Wednesday.
TIRUCHI: Tiruchi, Salem and Tirupur Corporations have qualified for inclusion under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) consequent to the Union government’s decision to relax the population criteria.
Previously, urban local bodies with a population of 10 lakh and above only were eligible to get assistance under the project.
Following a request from the Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, and Deputy Chief Minister M. K. Stalin’s recent meeting with officials, the Centre has now decided to include urban local bodies with a population above five lakh under the project. Tiruchi Corporation, as per the 2001 census, had a population of about 7.52 lakh.
Announcing this at the Corporation Council meeting here on Wednesday, Commissioner T. T. Balsamy said that he has received a communication from the Director of Municipal Administration to this effect.
Proposals to be taken up under the project would be finalised shortly. Renovating eight major flood carriers (drainage channels) running across the city could be one among the proposals to be taken up under the project, he indicated.
Welcoming the Centre’s move, Jerome Arockiaraj (Congress) and other councillors thanked the State and Central governments for conceding the long pending demand as the project would help improve the civic infrastructure of the city in a big way.
Earlier, the Council approved the appointment of a private company as third party inspector of the Rs.144.86 crore drinking water supply augmentation scheme being implemented with the assistance of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
Speaking on the issue, a cross section of the opposition councillors expressed concern over the reliability of the water scheme’s source at the Coleroon River. The city could face a severe water shortage in drought years, especially as the Cauvery River is being heavily exploited for various drinking water schemes including the Ramanathapuram Combined Drinking Water Supply Scheme, said J. Srinivasan, AIADMK, and O. R. Sriraman of the Communist Party of India.
Mayor S. Sujatha and Mr. Balsamy, however, vehemently denied that the city would face any water scarcity on account of the Ramanathapuram Drinking Water Supply Scheme.
The three collector wells being sunk on the Coleroon River, for the new water scheme for the city, would ensure equitable supply to all parts of the city. Besides, once the scheme becomes operational, the per capita water supply would go up to 135 litres a day. All technical reports have said that the source on the Coleroon was reliable, they maintained.
Speaking during the question hour, councillors of the AIADMK complained over the “meagre” financial allocation for development works in their wards. They alleged that wards represented by AIADMK members were being neglected – a charge that was refuted by Ms. Sujatha.
Later, the AIADMK councillors led by Mr. Srinivasan staged a walk out criticising the ‘competition within the council’ to praise the State government and its Ministers.
