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Laptops for Corporation zonal officers

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Source : The Hindu Date : 08.07.2009

Laptops for Corporation zonal officers

Staff Reporter

— Photo : M. Vedhan

A FILLIP: Chennai Mayor M. Subramanian hands over a laptop to an official of Chennai Corporation on Tuesday. The Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni is in the picture.

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation on Tuesday distributed laptops to the heads of its various departments and zonal officers.

The provision of laptops to the Corporation officials will facilitate faster redressal of public grievances and efficient monitoring of various administrative functions. The move would also be beneficial for implementation of the integrated web-based e-governance programme, which is under progress, Mayor M.Subramanian said after handing over laptops to 30 officials.

Officials of the civic body said that the laptops would be useful to the officials who go on inspections frequently, to monitor the progress of projects in their departments. The 30 laptops, costing Rs.15.75 lakh, were given to heads of various departments, including health and revenue, Chief Engineers, District Family Welfare Officers and zonal officers at the function held in the Mayor’s chamber in Ripon building.

Mr.Subramanian said that the Corporation was taking several measures to redress public grievances. It had provided mobile phones to 960 officials and councillors, at a cost of Rs.15 lakh.

Chennai Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni, Deputy Mayor R. Sathyabama, DMK floor leader N. Ramalingam and opposition floor leader Saidai Ravi participated in the function.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 July 2009 04:42
 

Water from Kandaleru reservoir may be delayed

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Source : The Hindu Date : 08.07.2009

Water from Kandaleru reservoir may be delayed

K. Lakshmi

Andhra Pradesh has taken up repair works in canal

— File Photo

THICK WITH EXPECTATIONS: With the water level in the city reservoirs such as Red Hills on the decline, Chennai looks forward to early release of water from the Kandaleru reservoir.

CHENNAI: Release of water to the city from the Kandaleru reservoir is likely to be delayed as the Andhra Pradesh government has taken up repair works in the canal, according to officials of Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (WRD).

They said that repair works were being carried out at 10 locations in the 152-km-long portion of the Kandaleru-Poondi Canal. The Tamil Nadu government wrote to the authorities concerned in the neighbouring State last month seeking release of the water from this month.

As the storage level now at Kandaleru reservoir was 23.5 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft), against its total capacity of 68 tmcft, there was sufficient resource to be discharged for city water supply, the officials said. A team of officials also plans to visit Andhra Pradesh in the coming weeks seeking release of water at the earliest, as the water level in the city reservoirs are declining.

In 2008-09, Chennai received 6.8 tmcft of water, the highest quantum released by Andhra Pradesh since implementation of the Krishna Water Supply Project in 1996, the officials said.

Chennai Metrowater officials, however, are confident that the drinking water supply to Chennai could be sustained with the resources available at the city reservoirs till October. A Metrowater official said that the combined storage level in the four reservoirs stood at 4,600 million cubic feet (mcft), as against the total capacity of 11,057 mcft. During the corresponding period last year, the storage level at the water bodies was 5,477 mcft. On an average, 45 mcft of water in the reservoirs was reduced daily because of drawal and evaporation loss, the official said.

With the Veeranam tank going bone dry, Metrowater has begun drawing 30-35 million litres of water daily (mld) from borewells in Neyveli to offset the supply. Water drawal from Chembarambakkam lake has been stepped up from 135 mld to 260 mld to compensate the loss of supply from Veeranam tank. Groundwater from Metrowater-owned well fields and southern aquifer was also being extracted to meet the city supply of 650 mld, the official said.

“We do not draw water from well fields and borewells in Neyveli regularly as it is stored for use during drought or whenever there is depletion of other resources,” the official added.

Alternative solution

Metrowater has also finalised tenders for hiring 180 private agricultural wells in places such as Poondi, Tamaraipakkam and Pullarambakkam in Tiruvallur district.

“We would make use of the wells only if there is undue delay in release of water from Kandaleru reservoir or failure of north-east monsoon,” said a senior official of Metrowater.

The groundwater from wells would be extracted from September onwards at Rs.25 per hour per well.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 July 2009 04:40
 

Few road projects to be ready by end of the year

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Source : The Hindu Date : 08.07.2009

Few road projects to be ready by end of the year

K. Manikandan

Project near Meenambakkam station nearing completion

— Photo: A.Muralitharan

Taking shape: The road overbridge to replace the railway level-crossing near Tambaram Sanatorium railway station is expected to be thrown open by year-end.

TAMBARAM: Delay in land acquisition, shifting of utilities, problems over design and alignment and delay on the part of Southern Railway in completing its portion of work are some of the reasons for the delay in completing road connectivity projects as scheduled in the southern suburbs of Chennai.

Despite problems posed on various fronts, at least a few projects are expected to be completed and commissioned before the end of this year.

The first facility expected to become operational is a subway to replace the level-crossing (LC No. 19) near Meenambakkam railway station. The Rs.9.3-crore project (that excludes Southern Railway’s share) is nearing completion and expected to be thrown open next month. But for completion of an underground sump for collecting rainwater during monsoon and other small pending works, major portion of the subway has been completed, State Highways Department officials said.

Another facility that is nearing completion is a road overbride to replace LC No. 29 near Tambaram Sanatorium railway station. The Rs.16-crore project (excluding Southern Railway’s share) has been completed, except for finishing touches on the Chitlappakkam, East Tambaram and Grand Southern Trunk Road directions.

The delay was also due to a change in design as sought by East Tambaram residents for access to Bharathamatha Street. This overbridge, officials hoped, would be opened before the year end.

Another crucial project where work had been speeded up was the bridge connecting GST Road with Pallavaram – Thoraipakkam Radial Road. The Rs.22-crore project (excluding Southern Railway’s share) had run into difficulties over problems in alignment design and shifting of utilities. Southern Railway, officials said, had completed their share of installing the super structure across the railway tracks. They hoped to complete the pending works at the earliest. Once completed, it would improve connectivity between GST Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai (IT Corridor) easing congestion at various points.

Another pending project is the Rs. 14-crore road overbridge to replace LC No. 24 near Pallavaram railway station. Delay in completing land acquisition procedure from the Ministry of Defence alone had taken several months. Work had picked up now, officials said, but did not commit on the time frame for the bridge to become operational.

Delay in completing land acquisition formalities had delayed even the commencement of preliminary works on a vehicular subway to replace the railway level-crossing on Dargah Road (LC No. 25) near Pallavaram. Work was expected to commence in about two months time. Officials said that work on the Rs. 35-crore road overbridge at Tambaram was going on and expected to be completed by the middle of next year.

Other projects that were in the pipeline include a Rs.4-crore limited use subway in Radha Nagar, Chromepet and pedestrian subways in Adambakkam (opposite Nidhi School) and near A.M. Jain College, Meenambakkam (through AAI quarters).

Officials said that greater help and speeding up of work from other government agencies, especially the Revenue Department, local bodies, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and water supply agencies for land acquisition and shifting of utilities such as underground power supply cables, lamp-posts, transformers and junction boxes, telephone cables and water supply mainlines would greatly help the Highways Department complete all projects on time.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 July 2009 04:36
 


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