The Hindu 05.08.2010
Cooum to be restored to glory in 6 years
Staff Reporter
| Singapore Cooperation Enterprises to present master plan for the project |
— Photo: R. Ravindran 
Lung space: A view of the park developed on Langs Garden Road, Pudupet, which was inaugurated on Wednesday.
CHENNAI: The Cooum river will be restored to its original glory in six years, Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin said here on Wednesday.
The Singapore Cooperation Enterprises (SCE), an agency of Singaporean government, will present the master plan for the restoration of the river in six months.
Mr. Stalin announced this at the inauguration of two parks developed along Langs Garden Road, Pudupet and Swami Sivananda Salai at a total cost of Rs.2.21 crore. They were developed by the Chennai Corporation as part of the Cooum river restoration project.
The project is being implemented by the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) at a cost of Rs.1,200 crore. Pointing out that the cleaning up of the Singapore River took a decade, he said the Cooum river restoration would be completed within six years.
Traders of nearly 1,200 shops selling automobile spare parts in Pudupet and Chintadripet have agreed to be shifted to Appur near Singaperumalkoil as part of the project. The resettlement process would begin in three months, he said.
The lands belonging to Public Works Department were handed over to the Corporation for developing parks. Work on the park along the river bank on Dams Road off Anna Salai would be completed soon, he said.
A senior official of the PWD said the beautification project on the 18-km stretch along the Cooum river in the city limits would be completed in three years.
Sources from the CRRT said a team of SCE officials would present an offer letter to the government in a few days. The letter would specify the scope and the estimated cost of the services.
Information Minister Parithi Ellamvazhuthi, Mayor M. Subramanian, PWD Principal Secretary S. Ramasundaram, CRRT Member Secretary K. Phanindra Reddy and Chennai Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni were present at the inauguration of the parks.
