Corporation budget on March 15

Mayor M.Subramanian inaugurating the water purification plant at the Marina beach on Monday. Photo: R. Ragu

The 2010-11 budget of Chennai Corporation will be presented on March 15, Mayor M. Subramanian said here on Monday.

Inaugurating the first water purification plant to provide free drinking water to the visitors at the Marina Beach, the Mayor said “The focus will be more on health and education in the budget.”

The decision to set up the facility at the beach comes in the wake of the civic body’s ban on the sale of the impure drinking water collected from small pits on the sea sands, he said.

The Corporation has been educating the public on keeping the Marina beach clean after the beautification drive, Mr.Subramanian said. “Plastic ban on the beach is being strictly enforced by the civic body. A total of 67 workers have been employed for preservation of the beautified beach,” he said.

A total of four such water purification plants are to be set up at the beach by the Lions Club, Rotary International and Round Table in association with the civic body.

The facility, opened on Monday, is located near the Gandhi Statue and has a capacity to store 12,000 litres of water.

“The three more facilities will be installed in other parts of the beach shortly,” Mr.Subramanian added.

“Additional public conveniences will be built at a cost of Rs.22 lakh each on the beach at four locations,” he said. The locations identified include one each near the Gandhi Statue and Anna Samadhi.

Mobile toilets would be made available for the visitors by Lions Club as a temporary measure till the public conveniences are set up by the civic body.