The committee formed by the Salem Corporation to give its suggestions on uninterrupted drinking water supply to all 60 wards, has advised the civic body to fix the defects in the existing schemes by spending ₹ 100 crore instead of implementing a new scheme through public-private partnership (PPP) mode at ₹ 693.49 crore.
The Corporation receives drinking water through two schemes: the Salem-Mettur dedicated water supply scheme (150 MLD) and the Nangavalli-Salem integrated water supply scheme (14 MLD). However, many wards receive water once in a week or 10 days. The issue was even raised by ruling party councillors in the council meetings. Following this, City Mayor A. Ramachandran formed a committee led by Suramangalam zonal chairman S.D. Kalaiyamudhan (79) in September. The committee comprises councillors from the DMK, AIADMK, and VCK. The committee inspected the pumping stations and inquired with the officials concerned and submitted its report to the Mayor last week.
According to the report, the Corporation could fix all the defects in the existing schemes by spending ₹ 100 crore. The report also urged the Corporation not to go ahead with the proposed water scheme at ₹693.49 crore. If the Corporation plans to proceed with the new scheme, it needs to dig almost all streets in Salem Corporation to replace the old pipelines and re-lay roads.
The Mayor said that a meeting would be convened with the Corporation Commissioner and Engineering officials soon to discuss the report.
