The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was ready to spend for water supply projects, said K.P. Munusamy, Minister for Local Administration and Rural Development, at a review meeting held in Coimbatore on Friday for local bodies in Coimbatore, the Nilgris, Tirupur and Erode districts.
Given the gloomy prediction on the water supply front because of poor monsoon, there could be shortage of water for drinking water schemes.
The local bodies, to overcome the deficit, should spend for supplying adequate quantity of available water. And in case they faced resource crunch, the Local Administration Department and the State Government were willing to fund schemes for managing water supply.
Quoting the Budget and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s various announcements, Mr. Munusamy said that the aim of the Chief Minister was to ensure efficient functioning of corporations, municipalities and other local bodies. Reminding the officials that the Chief Minister had allocated money for purchase of generators to power motors in water supply schemes to overcome power cuts, he said that the local bodies should invest in quality generators. The local bodies should also conduct a monthly test to monitor water quality and send the report to the Government.
Regarding Coimbatore Corporation’s public-private partnership project to replace street lights with LED bulbs, he said it would be a pilot project, a novel initiative. During his visit to various project sites in the city, Mr. Munusamy asked officials to expedite the projects, particularly those carried out with funds from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, reduce cost overruns, and address people’s needs. Mayor S.M. Velusamy, Members of Legislative Assembly, Corporation Commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy, Deputy Commissioner S. Sivarasu, councillors, and other officials were present.
The Minister later conducted a review meeting for municipalities, town panchayats and panchayats.
