The Hindu 22.12.2009

Proposal to raise water charges rejected again

Special Correspondent

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.

The Hindu 21.12.2009

Minister calls for completion of water scheme works by February

Special Correspondent

— Photo: Special Arrangement.

Development works: Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palaniswamy (right) and District Collector P. Umanath (second right) reviewing the Bhavani water scheme works near the city on Saturday.

COIMBATORE: Minister for Rural Industries Pongalur N. Palanisamy has called upon the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board here to complete the works on the Bhavani Combined Water Supply Scheme by February next year in order to help Kavundampalayam Municipality and Vadavalli Town Panchayat tide over scarcity of drinking water.

Reviewing the construction of water tanks in areas under the local bodies and the establishing of a water treatment plant at Chellappanur and an intake well at Nellithurai on Saturday, the Minister recalled that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the launch of the scheme here on February 24, 2007.

The Minister called upon the officials of the water board to speed up the works so that the people of the two local bodies were benefited by it before the onset of summer.

District Collector P. Umanath, TWAD Board Chief Engineer N. Ravichandran, Superintending Engineer P. Velusamy, Executive Engineer N.S. Manoharan, Kavundampalayam Municipality Chairman K.M. Sundaram and Vadavalli Town Panchayat President S. Amirthavalli Shanmughasundaram accompanied the Minister to the spots where the works were in progress.

The Minister said the scheme would provide the people under both the local bodies with a supply of 70 litres per capita per day. At present, the supply was 31 litres a day.

From the intake well at Nellithurai, water would be pumped to the treatment six km away at Chellapanur. Treated water would then go a main service reservoir located 14.40 km away at Veerapandi Pirivu. From there it would flow 15.55 km to a water tank at Kavundampalayam. From this tank, water would be supplied to seven new tanks and four existing ones at Kavundampalayam and to four at Vadavalli. Works were yet to be over with regard to two tanks each in the municipality and the town panchayat. The total length of pipes in the project would be 36 km.

Quoting the Minister, a press release from the district administration said the quick completion of the works would help in diverting the existing supply of Siruvani water to these areas to the city for the World Classical Tamil Conference in June next year.