The civic body along with the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) conducted a public hearing for implementing the underground drainage work in Kuniamuthur on Friday. They, however, had to postpone the meeting in Kurichi, as the residents said the two agencies had called for the meeting without sufficient notice.
The two agencies had announced that they would hold a public hearing prior to the implementation of the ₹442-crore underground drainage scheme.
In the Kuniamuthur meeting, the Corporation and TWAD Board officials said the latter would implement the scheme at ₹442 crore with 33 % contribution from the Central Government, 20 % from the State Government and the rest from the local body, the Corporation.
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The TWAD Board would lay underground sewer lines for 511 km by dividing the 14 wards falling in Kurichi and Kuniamuthur into 13 zones. They would provide underground drainage connections to over 50,000 houses, take the sewage to a treatment plant in Vellalore using 11pumping stations and 19 lift stations and release the treated water into River Noyyal.
The Board had designed more pumping and lift stations because the level difference was quite sharp at many places. The UGD scheme would fulfil the needs of Kurichi and Kuniamuthur till 2050, when the population was expected to touch 4,49,000.
The current population by 2020 would be 2,58,000.
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The officials told the participants that the current discharge of sewage in the two localities was 30.53 million litres a day and by 2050 it would touch 53.07 mld.
The residents wanted to know the time the TWAD Board would take to complete the scheme. Officials replied that it would take another six months to complete the formalities and three years thereafter to complete the work.
They sought details on the width of the sewer lines to be laid, the fate of storm water drains, the future of water bodies in the area. They aired their grievances related to lack of motorable roads, street lights and poor drinking water facility.
In Kurichi, the officials had to post pone the public hearing after residents complained of sufficient time to mobilise people. Former Kurichi Municipality chairman N. Prabhakaran said they told the officials that a few hours was hardly enough for the people to respond and participate in the hearing.
The officials should give at least a few days’ notice and then hold the meeting.
The officials promised to hold another meeting, he said. Corporation officials confirmed the same.