The ongoing ‘Smart City Projects’, being executed on an outlay of ₹ 950 crore in Tirunelveli Corporation, will be completed by March 2023, Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply K. N. Nehru said here on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting some of the ‘Smart City’ projects and inaugurating a few bus-shelters, Mr. Nehru said 15 of the 100-odd development works taken-up under the ‘Smart City’ projects had been completed at a cost of ₹161.03 crore even as 15 more works would be ready for inauguration within the next 15 days. Another 56 works, being executed on an outlay of ₹698.10 crore, had reached the advanced stage.
On the progress made in the ongoing Phase 2 (₹296.11 crore) and Phase 3 (₹447.75 crore) underground drainage scheme works, the Minister said the works being executed at a cost of ₹743.86 crore were being expedited as the progress of the project had not achieved the desirable pace.
“The underground drainage scheme requires laying of pipes for about 480 Km. We’ve hence brought all the officials concerned here today to expedite the work. We’ve given the contractors the deadline for completion of the project. If the deadlines are not met, we’ll take appropriate steps for the completion of the underground drainage works on an early note,” Mr. Nehru said.
The Minister also announced that the ongoing work on Ariyanayagipuram Drinking Water Scheme would be completed by September-end this year.
Work on the ₹230 crore Ariyanayagipuram Drinking Water Scheme, which was being implemented to augment drinking water supply to the Corporation and increase the quantum of drinking water being supplied to every resident of the Corporation to 135 litres a day, would be completed by September 30 this year, he said.
Mr. Nehru also informed that the urban civic bodies of the State would receive additional funds under the Union Government’s Jal Jeevan Mission for executing drinking water projects for the benefit of urban residents from this financial year onwards.
When asked about the DMK’s poll promise of creating ‘Satellite Towns’ near 15 urban civic bodies across Tamil Nadu, the Minister said an announcement in this connection would be made by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the ensuing Budget session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
On the conduct of polls in the urban civic bodies, Mr. Nehru said complaints pertaining to reservation of wards based on community and the gender, which were done during the earlier AIADMK regime, were pouring in and hence the government had to work on these complaints to ascertain the veracity of these charges. “Anyway, the Chief Minister is keen on conducting all these elections by December-end even as all other hitherto uncovered civic bodies in the newly formed districts will be conducted before September 15,” Mr. Nehru said.
In the afternoon, the Minister held discussion with senior town panchayat, municipality and corporation and TWAD Board officials from Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts to review the progress of ongoing projects.
When he inspected the ongoing ‘Smart City’ works in Thoothukudi in the morning, Mr. Nehru informed that the re-built old bus-stand of the port town would be ready for operation by next April.
He also inspected the sewage water treatment plant and said the ongoing underground drainage work would be completed within next four months.
He assured that the flooding of Thoothukudi during monsoon would be a thing of the past this year as this work would be completed before the start of the rainy season.
