The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Siruvani scheme may cost dear

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Friday, Jul 08, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Siruvani scheme may cost dear

Special Correspondent

Kerala move to raise lease rent the prime cause

COIMBATORE: For nearly four years till June 2004 poor monsoon and low storage put Coimbatore Corporation to hardship over Siruvani drinking water scheme. In spite of good rain last year and comfortable storage in Siruvani Dam till date the civic body has a major reason to worry.

Siruvani scheme is set to turn costlier for the Corporation as Kerala has raised lease rent for land occupied by the dam.

The dam and related facilities for water supply occupy 370 hectares of reserve forest in Kerala. So far, the Corporation has been paying Rs.125 a hectare annually to Kerala as lease rent. Now, its Government has informed Tamil Nadu that the rent for the next 20 years will be ten times more. Kerala has fixed it at Rs. 1,300 a hectare with effect from July 1, 2004. The revision was made in April this year. While the Corporation pays to Kerala Rs. 46,250 a year as per the existing rate of Rs. 125, the revision will entail payment of Rs.4.81 lakhs.

Financial burden

When the subject relating to this was placed in the Corporation Council last week, councillors cut across party lines to point out that the revised rate would inflict a heavy financial burden on the civic body. The subject was not approved and deferred for discussion later. The members suggested that the Corporation could represent this case to the State Government, requesting it to take it up with Kerala for reducing the rent. If much headway cannot be made, Siruvani - known for its sweet water - will turn sour for the Corporation.

The Council is already demanding that the Corporation take over maintenance of the scheme from Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board. It pressed for this when TWAD Board raised water tariff from Rs.3.50 per thousand litres (up to 50,000 litres) to Rs.4.50.

But the Corporation charges only Rs.3.50 from the public owing to pressure from councillors. This adds to the financial burden on the Corporation as it spends heavily towards payment of lease rent to Kerala and also for maintenance of the dam; for the 87 million litres a day (mld) supply it gets since the commissioning of the scheme in 1982.

While officials are not very optimistic of Kerala reducing the rent, they support the councillors' view that maintenance should be taken up by the Corporation. By doing so the civic body can save the money it pays as water charges to TWAD Board. But, staff shortage is a cause for concern.

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