KOCHI: The Union Government has sanctioned the first phase of the water supply scheme for the city from Muvattupuzha River.

The Rs.201-crore project is aimed at supplying 100 million litres of water a day to areas including Chellanam, Kumbalangi, Kumbalam, Navy and the Port area.

Announcing this at a Corporation council meeting on Friday, Mayor Mercy Williams said that the scheme was one of the first projects to be sanctioned for the city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) initiated by the Union Government for developing basic infrastructure facilities for a number of cities.

The first phase of the project would start in the coming financial year.

Fund release

Funds would be released as soon as the technical formalities of signing a memorandum of understanding between the State and the Union Government were completed. Water from the river would be taken in at Pazhoor and the treatment plant would be set up at Nettoor for the project.

The scheme would also be one of the first to reduce the dependence of the city on the Periyar.

The ambiguity surrounding the purchase of equipment for spraying chemicals to curb mosquito menace was discussed at the meeting.

K.J. Antony, P.S. Viju, Sabu George and N. Venugopal wanted to know why the Chief Health Officer could not give a satisfying reply to the council regarding the quality and price of the equipment.

It was finally decided by the council to go by the decision of the Health Standing Committee to purchase all the spray equipment from one company.

ADB issue, speeding buses, Smart City, financial aid for poor, housing aid for poor, protection of heritage buildings in Fort Kochi, cleaning of canals were some of the issues taken up by the councillors.

Councillors V.K. Thangaraj, K.J. Maxy, Hamsa Kunju, Shyamala Prabhu, E.M. Sunil Kumar and Lailamma George were among those who spoke.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail