The Hindu               19.09.2013

Rs.70-crore drinking water project for Dindigul

The Dindigul Municipality will spend Rs.70 crore to
augment drinking water supply to Dindigul town. To meet its expenses, it
will revise domestic and commercial water tax and deposit amount for
new water connection.

Elaborating on the new project
at the Municipal Council meeting here on Wednesday, Council Chairman V.
Marudha Raj said present drinking water requirement of the municipality
was 28 million litres a day (MLD), but the supply from Athoor Kamarajar
dam and Cauvery Combined Drinking Water Project was just 14 MLD.

With
this supply, the municipality could supply water to residents only once
in a week. Kamarajar dam had also been feeding 17 wayside villages and
Chinnalapatti town. In future, requirement of wayside villages and
Chinnalapatti would be around 26 MLD, he said.

Of the
total project cost, Japan International Co-operation Agency will
contribute Rs.35.10 crore, including a grant of Rs.14.10 crore, Tamil
Nadu Urban Infrastructure Project share Rs.28.20 crore and the local
body contribution Rs.7.05 crore.

To meet its
expenses, the municipality proposed to increase water tax from Rs.45 to
Rs.280 for domestic water connections and to Rs.560 for other
connections. Similarly, deposit for domestic water connection will be
revised to Rs.10,000 and for commercial connection Rs.20,000, he pointed
out.

Walkout

The DMK
Councillors staged a walkout from the Council meeting over the proposed
hike in water charges, stating that it would affect all sections of the
people. The municipality could not supply drinking water to wards even
once in eight days.

Then how could we accept upward revision of charges, they asked.

DMK
Councillor M. Mohammad Rafeek said the revision of water tax should not
exceed Rs.80 for domestic connection. Other DMK Councillors, K.
Azhagarsamy and S. Rajappa, too supported him.

Later
talking to media persons, the Chairman said the municipality would
revise the tax to Rs.150 for domestic connection and Rs.560 for other
connections. It would come into force only after the implementation of
the project, he added.