The Hindu    31.07.2012

“Share water or we cannot claim right over inter-State rivers”

Staff Reporter

Dissatisfied:DMK councillor S. Kamaludeen and Congress councillor
Umapathi Sivan sitting on the floor during the Corporation Council
meeting in Tirunelveli Monday.— Photo: A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN

 The Corporation council that met here on Monday
witnessed some embarrassing moments after a ruling party councillor
raised objections over the urban civic body’s decision to complete work
of one of the ongoing major drinking water schemes on an early note.

Raising
the issue in the council meeting, member Gomathinayagam of All India
Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam told the Mayor that she should have
accorded highest priority for completing the work on the drinking water
project meant for wards 8, 9 and 10.

“Even as the
people sitting on the banks of the Tamirabharani (residents of wards 8, 9
and 10) are indefinitely waiting for the completion of the project, you
(the Mayor) are according priority for expediting the (drinking water
project) work for wards 19, 26 and 27, all situated far off from the
river. While these three wards (19, 26 and 27) are being represented by
councillors of other political parties, welfare of the ruling party
councillors’ wards are being ignored,” Mr. Gomathinayagam alleged.

A
visibly upset Mayor Vijila Sathyananth replied that the work on
completing the drinking water scheme for wards 19, 26 and 27 were
expedited as it was commenced first and long back even before the work
for the remaining three wards was started.

“Since
residents of wards 8, 9 and 10 are now getting drinking water supply at
least once in four days, people of wards 19, 26 and 27 are getting
drinking water supply through lorries once in ten days and hence we
decided to commission the project meant for the far-off places first,”
she said.

As Mr. Gomathinayagam was not still
convinced with the Mayor’s answer and preferred to drag the conversation
further, an agitated Mayor said: “If you are not even prepared to share
water with the people living within the jurisdiction of the same
corporation where you live, then how can we claim our rights over the
water of interstate rivers?,” asked Ms. Vijila, putting end to the
argument.

“I assure you that drinking water project
work for your ward will be completed within a fortnight,” the Mayor
assured the councillor.

She thanked the officials,
especially Executive Engineer V. Narayanan Nair for having ensured the
smooth supply of water to the ground-level sump at Teachers’ Colony,
which will be the nodal point in the drinking water scheme for wards 19,
26 and 27.

On his part, Mr. Narayanan Nair assured
the council that the technical workforce being used in the Corporation’s
drinking water project would shortly be shifted to the second project
so that there would be no dearth for trained personnel and hence it
would be completed on an early note.

Expressing
dissatisfaction over the performance of Akash Associates, which has been
entrusted with the task of maintaining streetlights, Congress
councillor T.N. Umapathi Sivan and DMK member S. Kamaludeen sat on the
floor in front of the Mayor’s seat. Endorsing the protesting
councillors’ views, Ms. Vijila said the contract executed between the
private firm and the corporation would be valid for one more year.
“However, the officials need not process the bills being submitted by
Akash Associates till they show visible improvement in the maintenance
of streetlights,” she said.

The Mayor also said the
ban on plastic should be implemented with more vigour through spot fines
and asked the officials to distribute hand-held bill collection gadgets
to give receipts for the fine to be slapped on the sellers as well as
the consumers.Today’s council meeting resolved in favour of increasing the daily wages of the temporary workers from Rs. 110 a day to Rs. 185.