Coimbatore Corporation will continue to retain control over water distribution under the 24x7 drinking water supply scheme, Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani said here on Sunday.

“A few who could not implement such schemes during their rule are spreading canards and also creating hindrances. I had announced in the Assembly that water distribution will not be handed over to private parties and have addressed concerns,” he said.

The Minister was here to participate in a series of ground breaking ceremonies to kick-start projects worth Rs. 113.52 crore under the Smart Cities Mission. He also inaugurated a public convenience facility.

The Minister reiterated that the Corporation will continue to retain control and the DMK working president had issued a wrong statement based on a social media message generated by a man in Kundrathur, Kancheepuram.

It was the same man who had spread falsehoods in the run-up to the Thoothukudi protest and against the Salem-Chennai green corridor project.

The State Government under Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam was favourably disposed towards Coimbatore, for which it had sanctioned a slew of projects – elevated corridor on Avinashi Road, flyovers at Ramanathapuram, Singanallur, Saibaba Colony and Kavundampalayam junctions and another flyover at Athupalam.

A press release from the Corporation said that Mr. Velumani participated in the ground breaking ceremony on the Ukkadam Big Tank bund, where Smart Cities Mission would take up development works for Rs. 39.74 crore.

He also participated in similar ceremonies to start works in Valankualm tank, construction of a new park at A.K.S. Nagar in Ward 79 and redevelopment of the D.B. Road into smart road at Rs. 24.71 crore.

Members of Legislative Assembly P.R.G. Arunkumar, V.C. Aarukutty and Amman K. Arjunan, Corporation Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan, Deputy Commissioner P. Gandhimathi, City Engineer A. Lakshmanan, senior engineers Natarajan, K. Gnanavel, amd Saravanakumar and others were present at the function.