The Hindu 03.02.2010
Corporation takes up infrastructure works
Special Correspondent
| Civic body aims to complete them ahead of the Tamil meet |
Works costing more than Rs.100 crore to improve infrastructure initiated across the city
Funding by Corporation is Rs.4.82 crore and that by Government Rs.33.34 crore
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation has listed some of the infrastructure development works that it has taken up and aims to complete ahead of the World Classical Tamil Conference to be held here from June 23 to 27.
Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra said in a press release on Tuesday that the civic body had taken up a Rs.6.42 crore project to construct storm water drains and provide pedestrian pavements over these.
Parks would be created at Rs.7.24 crore. Road junctions would be improved at Rs.2.35 crore.
The Commissioner pointed out that all these works were launched on January 18 by Mayor R. Venkatachalam and were being carried out with the funds of the Corporation and not the Government.
Mr. Mishra said the Corporation was only planning to use its general fund in addition to the funds provided by the Government for the projects.
It was not as if the Government was not providing funds and therefore the Corporation was looking to finance the works totally.
The Corporation would spend from its fund on works that would come up in addition to those already listed by it and cleared by the Government.
Totally, works costing more than Rs.100 crore to improve infrastructure had been initiated across the city.
Of these, the Corporation’s funding was Rs.4.82 crore and Rs.33.34 crore by the Government.
The allocation by the Government included Rs.26 crore from the State Infrastructure and Amenities Fund for works on 71 roads.
And, works for Rs.48 crore were being taken up under public-private partnership. (The parks project is under the public-private partnership initiative.)
The release said that in addition to these works, the Government had sanctioned Rs.60 crore to the Highways Department, Rs.55 crore to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, Rs.1.41 crore to the village panchayats and Rs.2.56 crore to the town panchayats for carrying out various works in and around the city.
Earlier, Information Officer and City Engineer of the Corporation G. Karunakaran said the Corporation was into the process of initiating various works and getting the funds from the Government.
In response to details sought under the Right to Information Act by former councillor M. Krishnaswamy, he said that apart from the funds from the Government, the Corporation was also exploring the possibility of carrying out the works with its own resources.
Mr. Krishnasamy had alleged that though Ministers conducted reviews and made announcements on allocation of several crores of rupees for the works, the Government was yet to sanction funds when there were only a few months left for the conference.
