Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Parties demand hygiene, development in city

Special Correspondent

Speed up effort for amenities in unapproved layouts: councillors

COIMBATORE: An all-party meeting at the Coimbatore Corporation on Tuesday emphasised speedy development and hygiene in the city and also quick measures to provide at least a few amenities to unapproved layouts in the next couple of months.

Pending works

The Mayor In-Charge, K. Raghupathy, the Corporation Commissioner, P. Muthuveeran, leaders of various parties in the Corporation Council and officials discussed pending works and problems that held them up.

According to Corporation sources, the councillors expressed dismay over the delay in carrying out works in the unapproved layouts. Gravel roads and water lines were high on the agenda for the layouts as nearly three-lakh people suffered without basic amenities.

The Leader of the Opposition, K.P. Jagannathan, said after the meeting that the parties wanted at least main water lines to be laid in the layouts. The rest of the development could be carried out gradually. "But, we want the Public Works Department's schedule of rates for construction materials to be revised soon. As these are low, against the high market rates, works are held up," he said.

"Everyone knows this problem and we have appealed to the Local Administration Minister, M.K. Stalin. We (the Council) had also moved a resolution seeking revision and sent it to the Government. Works for Rs. 25 crore that are pending (because of the rates) were discussed at the meeting," he said.

As for unapproved layouts, the parties wanted development works taken up in the layouts formed after 1980 also. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government had ordered regularisation of layouts formed before 1980 and provision of amenities in them. The parties here pointed out that many such layouts formed after that year had paid Rs.11 crore in development charges. Development works should be taken up in these also, they demanded.

The sources said that the Council had moved a resolution in 1998 that water lines in these layouts should be provided. It would have cost only Rs. 3 crore then. The lines were not laid and the cost had now risen to Rs. 5 crore, they said.

Infrastructure

The councillors were also planning to submit suggestions for infrastructure improvement at a City Development Meeting to be held by the Corporation on Wednesday.

The councillors wanted fogging to be carried out during day also in the city to prevent an outbreak of chikungunya.

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