Tiruchi Corporation has forwarded to the government an additional proposal for laying underground sewer lines for lanes around Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam using trenchless technology without affecting the temple ramparts.
The State government has already accorded administrative sanction to the extension of the underground drainage scheme for the omitted areas in Srirangam under phase I of expansion of the sewer system in the city.
Under this phase, residential colonies spread over a radius of 10.53 square kilometres in Srirangam and Thiruvanaikovil areas would be brought under the sewer network.
The project would benefit a population 56,405 in the ultimate stage by 2044.
The project was to address one of the major shortcomings of the existing underground sewer system in Srirangam by covering the Uthira and Chithra Veedhis around the famous Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. These streets have not been covered by the underground sewer network so far.
Special provisions have been incorporated to provide the underground sewer line in Adayavalanchan, Chithra and Uthira Veedhis in Srirangam as the network has to run across narrow strips of land between the rear side of houses and the ramparts of the temple.
Since the ramparts of the temple were in a precarious condition in many places, care has to be taken to ensure that the structure was not disturbed in any manner.
Though the project estimate was originally put at Rs.24 crore, it was subsequently revised to Rs.25.98 crore providing for laying the sewer lines using micro tunnelling technology for a total length of about 2.5 km around the temple in the four Adayavalanjan and Chithra Streets.
This project apart, the corporation has now drawn up separate estimate for laying the sewer lines for a length of another six km to cover the lanes at the end of Adayavalanjan, Uthira and Chithirai Streets.
This would entail an additional investment of Rs.21.52 crore.
While tenders have already been called for the first project, administrative sanction from the government is awaited for the second project, sources in the corporation said.
