Stating that inferior quality materials were used in construction of water treatment plants in Thottilpatti in Mettur that led to its damage, district Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded action against the private construction company and also sought the reconstruction of the plants.
In a petition submitted to Corporation Commissioner S.R. Selvaraj, BJP district general secretary R.P. Gopinath said that the City Municipal Corporation was implementing the Mettur – Salem Dedicated Water Supply Scheme at a cost of Rs. 320 crore.
While works for Package I of the scheme were completed and trial run was on, works for Package II were in progress.
He said that the newly constructed tanks for treating the raw water in Thottilpatti developed cracks leading to river water mixing up with the processed water.
This led to sedimentation of moss that attracted worms, he said and added that chemicals were used in large quantities to destroy the moss causing sanitation issue.
Mr. Gopinath said that though these tanks were estimated to be in use for 100 years, the damage caused was a concern.
Structural defect
He asked as to why the Corporation engineers failed to monitor the works of the private company.
“There is a structural defect and also inferior use of construction materials,” he alleged.
The petition also condemned the Corporation for settling the bills to the company for the works.
“The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption should conduct an inquiry with the contractor and also test the quality of work done,” the petition said.
New design
Later, addressing media persons, the Corporation Commissioner said that tanks were constructed with structural defect and new design had been obtained from Anna University for reconstruction.
“The contractor will complete the works in 10 days time,” he added.
The Commissioner also clarified that the civic body did not incur any loss as payments were yet to be settled to the contractor.
