The Hindu             19.06.2013

Coimbatore Corporation to grant water supply connections from July 1 onwards

Staff Reporter

In all probability, the Coimbatore Corporation will start granting fresh drinking water supply connections from July 1. The civic body made a decision to this effect at its Council meeting on Tuesday.

The Corporation had frozen issue of new connections about two months ago when the water level dipped in the Siruvani Dam, forcing the Corporation to divert Pilloor water to Siruvani-fed areas.

Mayor S.M. Velusamy said the Corporation would start granting approvals for fresh connection but only after the issue concerning plumbers was sorted out. At present the Corporation had only 60 approved plumbers – an insufficient number to meet the needs of the residents of 100 wards.

Mr. Velusamy said that the senior officials of the Corporation along with heads of zones and committees would meet within a week to discuss the issue of shortage of approved plumbers to come up with a solution. And only after they do so, would the civic body go ahead and start approving fresh connections.

At last count, the Corporation had around 3,000 pending applications.

The issue regarding de-freezing the issue of connections cropped up after Ward 62 Councillor S. Balan made an appeal in this regard.

During the course of a debate on the execution of underground drainage and storm water drainage work, Mr. Velusamy asked Commissioner G. Latha to prepare a list of storm water drain works that were under progress. The list ought to contain the name of the work, the scope of work, the date of start and the progress made thus far.

He also asked the engineers in-charge of executing works under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission to first complete works that had been taken up in the past and not go in for new works.

This was after Ward 49 Councillor Meena Loganathan (DMK) and a few others from the ruling AIADMK complained that the contractors were in the practice of abandoning works midway to move to new works. This led to a situation were residents found it difficult to drive on roads where works had been taken up, sewage stagnated in the drains built and roads turned slushy in the recent rains.

With regard to borewells, the Council, following complaints from the Councillors decided that wherever borewells were defunct, the civic body would go in for new ones. It made the decision after the elected representatives said that at many places the yield was very poor or nil. And at newly dug wells, the Corporation officials were yet to get power connection or install motors.

At the Council meeting, the Councillors also decided to take up planting saplings in medians, regulate graffiti on walls, especially those that belonged to government institutions, appoint 424 conservancy works on contract basis, prevail upon builders to construct rainwater harvesting structures, regulate advertisements, hoardings, etc. within the city.

The Hindu            17.06.2013

Drinking water scheme to slake Virudhunagar’s thirst

Works are on to implement the Tamirabharani Combined Drinking Water Scheme so as to meet the drinking water requirements of the people of Virudhunagar district, said Information and Special Programme Implementation Minister K. T. Rajendhira Balaji.

Speaking at functions organised in connection with inauguration of an auditorium, constructed at a cost of Rs. 3.70 lakh at Vivekanandha Colony, two Integrated Sanitary Complexes, each constructed at a cost of Rs. 4.50 lakh, at Saradha Nagar and at Shanmuga Road (ward 25), a community hall, built at a cost of Rs. 9 lakh, on Mundagan Street (in ward 26), small electric pump built at a cost of Rs. 2 lakh on Kamarajar Road and a Children’s Park constructed at Keezh Kattalaipatti, at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh under Integrated Urban Development Mission, he said that all villages in the district would get drinking water facility.

(All these projects in Sivakasi Municipality were taken up with the money obtained from the MLA’s Constituency Development Fund.)

The Information Minister informed that dilapidated roads were being repaired and widened, and roads were being laid in the regions where fireworks units were located.

A sum of Rs. 4.50 crore had been allocated for the construction of a training centre here on five acres of land for the benefit of those labourers working in firecracker companies.

Mr. Balaji highlighted several welfare measures being taken by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa such as distribution of drought relief to poor farmers, ‘thalikku thangam’ scheme for young unmarried women, enhancement of maternity assistance from Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 12,000, and freebies like free bicycles and free laptops to students.

Earlier, he participated in the ‘boomi pooja’ function for the construction of a Government Juvenile Home at a cost of Rs.1.7 lakh at Mallipudur in Srivilliputtur Municipality through the Social Welfare Department and additional buildings for Inspection Bungalow in Sivakasi at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh.

The Minister also inspected the godown where freebies such as fans, mixies and grinders were kept and also the service centre where fans, mixies and grinders were repaired in case of any fault in their functioning.

Municipal Chairman M. Kathiravan, several officials and local body representatives participated in the functions.