The Hindu 28.10.2010
Drinking water scheme work to begin soon
Special Correspondent
| Ongoing work on Rs.1938-crore Hogenakkal CDWSS will be completed before December 2011 |
"A combined scheme for Madurai district is under implementation at a cost of Rs.784 crore”
“State has implemented Rs.993-crore seawater desalination project for North Chennai”
VELLORE: Preliminary investigation on the combined drinking water supply scheme (CDWSS) to be implemented by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board for Vellore district by bringing water from the Cauvery river at a village near Mettur at a cost of Rs.1318 crore, is in progress and the work on the scheme will commence soon, according to M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister.
Speaking in response to the demand made by C. Gnanasekaran, Vellore MLA, to expedite the commencement of work on the scheme in order to provide a permanent solution to the chronic water scarcity prevailing in Vellore district, at a function held in connection with the marriage of the son of P. Karthikeyan, Mayor of Vellore here on Wednesday, Mr. Stalin said that the scheme, when implemented, would benefit the Vellore Corporation, besides the municipalities of Tirupattur, Jolarpet, Vaniyambadi, Ambur, Tharapadavedu, Sathuvachari, Melvisharam, Arcot, Ranipet, Walajapet and Arakkonam and the town panchayats of Natrampalli, Pallikonda, Shenbakkam, Kazhinjur, Gandhinagar, Katpadi, Allapuram and Thorappadi.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the ongoing work on the Rs.1938-crore Hogenakkal CDWSS for Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts – a long-standing demand of the people of the area – would be completed before December 2011. While the previous government did not take any step to implement the scheme, it was the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, which took concrete steps to implement the scheme by signing an agreement with a Japanese agency and persuading it to provide a loan of Rs.1928 crore.
Mr. Stalin said that Ramanathapuram district has been transformed into a land full of water with the implementation of the Rs.616-crore CDWSS in the district. A combined scheme for Madurai district is under implementation at a cost of Rs.784 crore while a CDWSS has been formulated for Virudhunagar district by bringing water from the Thamiraparani river.
Other schemes sanctioned included the Rs.224-crore CDWSS for Coimbatore and Tirupur districts, Rs.105-crore CDWSS for Nagapattinam district, Rs.16-crore CDWSS for Tiruchi and a CDWSS for Narasingapuram in Salem district.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the State government has implemented Rs.993-crore seawater desalination project for North Chennai, while work on Rs.1000-crore seawater desalination project for South Chennai is in progress.
State Ministers Durai Murugan, K. Ponmudi and E.V. Velu, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting S. Jagathrakshakan and MLAs R. Gandhi, A. Chinnasamy and P.S. Vijayakumar participated.
