The Hindu - Tamil Nadu 01.08.2009

Municipal chairman, officials inspect boat house

Special Correspondent

Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy

Taking stock: Senior officials of the civic administration holding discussions with TTDC officials at the boat house in Udhagamandalam on Friday. —

Udhagamandalam: A team comprising senior officials of the civic administration including the Joint Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Maheshwari; the Additional Director of Municipal Administration, Pitchai; the Regional Director, Town and Country Planning, Vijayalakshmi; and the Deputy Director, Town and Country Planning, Krishnakumar; on Friday inspected the boat house here along with the Municipal Chairman, R. Rajendran, and the Commissioner, Girija.

Pointing out that the inspection was part of the process of asking the government to hand over the maintenance of the lake and boat house to the municipality, Mr. Pitchai said that it was now under the control of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation.

At a recent meeting of the council, the government had been urged to bring them under the control of the municipality as the civic administration was spending about Rs. 20 lakh every year for the upkeep of their surroundings without getting any funds from the government.

To a query, he said that efforts would be made to remove encroachments from municipal lands.

Later, the team inspected the site for the proposed bus stand at Finger Post near here and the places identified for creating parking lots like the premises of the Nilgiris District Cooperative Milk Producers Union (NDCMPU) on the Coonoor Road and the municipal market.

The expansion work in progress at the municipal office and some of the unauthorised structures were also inspected.