The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : TWAD Board going through a lean phase

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 22, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

TWAD Board going through a lean phase

T. Ramakrishnan

The gap between its revenue receipts and expenditure widening Gap between its revenue receipts and expenditure widening

CHENNAI: The signs are disturbing for the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board. The gap between its revenue receipts and revenue expenditure is widening.

The 36-year-old organisation, which has over 7,500 workers — around 1,500 qualified engineers among them — and which has provided at least one source of water supply in all 81,787 rural habitations, is at a crossroads.

Future causes concern

That the Board's future is causing concern to employees was evident from the remarks of leaders of different unions at a function held here a few weeks ago.

Not many municipalities are approaching the Board, especially for preparing project reports. This follows the Government's move to allow municipal corporations and selection-grade municipalities to decide the agencies for preparation of project reports. Of late, all the works under the accelerated rural water supply programme and flood or tsunami relief schemes are being done by the Board without centage — the cost of services rendered by the Board and borne by a beneficiary local body

The Board finds the burden of the power bill unbearable. While the power charges are Rs. 3.40 a unit, the Board levies Rs. 3 per 1,000 litres of water supplied and incurs Rs. 8 per litre (excluding the power tariff) towards maintenance. However, a senior official says that the only way the Board can overcome the situation is to turn more competitive and increase its productivity.

Keeping this in mind, the centage was reduced. A few years ago, it , was reduced from 18.5 to 8.5 per cent for water supply schemes and from 13 to 5 per cent for underground drainage projects.

At present, the Board executes 750 schemes annually. It has to increase the number to 900 schemes. With the local bodies playing an increasingly important role in the development process, the Board has to work in tandem with municipalities and municipal corporations.

Major projects

The official points out that the Government will assign major projects to the Board. It has already taken up the Ramanathapuram combined water supply project, costing Rs. 616 crore. Shortly, the Hogenekkal water supply project will be executed.

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