The Hindu 22.12.2009
Proposal to raise water charges rejected again
Special Correspondent
| Councillors want more discussion on city expansion |
Photo:S. Siva Saravanan 
DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: Mayor R. Venkatachalam (second left) addressing an all-party meeting on various development schemes at the Coimbatore Corporation on Monday. Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra (left) is in the picture. –
COIMBATORE: Success eluded the Coimbatore Corporation again on Monday in its effort to raise the drinking water charges. An all-party meeting held at the Corporation saw heads of parties in the Council rejecting again the proposal for the increase.
The Corporation had placed before the Council some months ago, the proposal from the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration for increasing the charges. After scrutiny of the rates approved by parties, the Commissionerate had proposed an increase over these by citing viability, especially in terms of funds needed for the maintenance of the water schemes.
The revised rates were placed in the Council first. But, these were rejected by the parties. They wanted the Corporation to convene an all-party meeting to discuss this issue.
But, the proposal had been shuttling between the Council and the conference hall of the Corporation where the all-party meetings were held, as the elected representatives kept rejecting it.
They contended that an increase in the charges would inconvenience the people.
When the proposal was taken up for discussion at the all-party meeting on Monday, the representatives of the parties wanted it to be discussed at the next meeting of the Council.
City expansion
The meeting also discussed a proposal to expand the city area. The Corporation had been considering an expansion for over a year.
The plan was to add to the Corporation some of the local bodies on its boundary. The objective was to enable speedy development in these areas that were already witnessing hectic housing activity.
These suburbs, also called peri-urban areas, were already chosen for the urban agglomeration component of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for infrastructure development.
Sources in the Corporation said the plan was to increase the city area from the present 105 sq.km. to 400 sq.km.
The present population of the city was a little more than 10 lakh and the areas targeted for expansion had another six lakh.
Councillors said at the all-party meeting that the city could be expanded. But, there would be more discussion on the extent of expansion.
Drainage
It was announced at the meeting that underground drainage connections could be provided to the new houses for slum dwellers by waiving the connection charges. The houses were being constructed under the Basic Services for Urban Poor project of the JNNURM. The drainage scheme was also being implemented under the mission.
Welcoming the move, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Communist Party of India and some other parties also called for the waiver of monthly user charges. The Corporation said this was not possible and that a nominal charge would have to be collected.
