The underground drainage works benefiting a population of about 50,000 of the municipality would be completed shortly, Darez Ahmed, Collector, announced here on Friday.

This project costing Rs 31.91 crore will be a boon to this under-developed town where open drainages are a major eyesore.

Despite becoming the district headquarters more than one-and-a-half decade ago, such a basic necessity like the underground drainage is likely to become a reality only now.

According to official sources, though the agreement for the scheme came into being as early as 2008, the actual works began only on May 7, 2010.

Originally it was scheduled to be completed by this May-end.

The scheme envisages laying of pipelines to a total length of 92.5 km (of which 2.55 km pipeline had to be laid with the approval of National Highways Authority of India and 16.5 km pipelines with the permission from the State highways) would connect about17,000 households and about 2,000 institutions and commercial establishments.

The Collector, who undertook a surprise inspection of various areas in the municipality, said sewage chamber construction work had been completed in a majority of the households, education institutions, hospitals and commercial establishments. These chambers would have to be connected to the underground drainage for discharging sewage.

Sewage treatment plant nearing completion

According to an official release, he said that in addition, the sewage treatment plant coming up at cost of Rs.3.16 crore at Neduvasal was nearing completion.

“The trial run of the project would be conducted soon,” he added. The treatment plant is capable of handling 4.2 million litres a day.

As some of the small streets had been left out of the original plan, it had been proposed to connect them too. For this a revised proposal had been prepared and a plan for laying pipelines to a length of 21.78 km had been submitted to the government seeking sanction for Rs.9.5 crore.

The Collector was accompanied by P.Gurusamy, municipal commissioner, Chandrasekaran, executive engineer, Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board, and Pandu, municipal engineer (in charge).