Coimbatore Corporation writes to district collectors to move skilled workers

To resume water distribution improvement work in the 60 wards of the city, Coimbatore Corporation has written to eight district collectors to allow movement of skilled workers.

Sources familiar with the development said the Corporation Commissioner has written to collectors of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Villupuram, Tiruchi, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Salem and Pudukottai districts to permit movement of skilled workers.

The workers – around 20 of them – were skilled in laying ductile iron and HDPE (high density polyethylene) pipelines and their presence was required to resume in the 24x7 water supply improvement project.

As for unskilled labourers – mostly used in earth work, the contractor executing the water distribution improvement project – Suez India Pvt. Ltd. - had around 100 of them, whom it could summon immediately from within the district.

If the collectors grant permission and the company mobilises the unskilled workers, the Corporation could resume work sometime in the second or third week of this month, the sources said adding work in Selvapuram and a couple of localities off Marudhamalai Road could be resumed by then.

The Corporation had also written to the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board and other similar agencies to engage their skilled and unskilled workers for early resumption of the work.

The Corporation had to stop the work in the third week of March after the State Government imposed lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 . During the lockdown, the Corporation through Suez India Pvt. Ltd. had attended over 1,000 leaks in the distribution system in the old city (60 wards), including major complaints in Selvapuram, West Club Rod and Gandhipuram. It had also carried out corrective work to improve water distribution in Ramanathapuram and a few other places.

The Corporation is revamping the old city’s water distribution system under the Smart Cities Mission scheme.