The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : AIADMK councillors line up pots to mark protest

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Tuesday, Jun 16, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

AIADMK councillors line up pots to mark protest

Special Correspondent

They point out to Palar water scarcity that the residents are facing

— Photo: A.Muralitharan

POTS FOR PROTEST: AIADMK councillors protesting the inadequate water supply in Tambaram municipal areas, at a meeting of the local body on Monday.

TAMBARAM: Tambaram Municipal councillors belonging to the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam brought empty plastic pots to a routine monthly meeting of the council on Monday to point to the problem of scarcity of the Palar drinking water, a problem residents have been facing for some months now.

When the meeting began a little past 10 a.m., the AIADMK councillors had already lined up empty plastic pots on the tables in front of their seats. Pointing out that Palar water was supplied to some tail-end areas of West Tambaram only once in two or three weeks, they sought an explanation from the authorities.

L.R.Chezhian, councillor from Ward No. 2 and the party’s town secretary, said the problem arose owing to an ineffective distribution mechanism. Although the number of sources on the dry bed of the Palar had gone up over the years leading to an increase in supply, poor planning and management resulted in water shortage to the residents, he said. The councillors rushed to the table of municipal chairman E. Mani and surrounded him with the empty pots.

Mr. Mani said a major burst in the main pipelines in Padappai had led to wastage of more than a day’s water supply. While that problem was solved, other issues relating to distribution were being addressed, he said. The administration would supply water to the affected areas through tanker lorries.

Apart from the residents of Tambaram, those of many other local bodies in the southern suburbs of Chennai served by both the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board and the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board had been complaining of inadequate supply of drinking water. They have been complaining for some time now.

Residents and office-bearers of civic groups in Bashyam Nagar, Chromepet, coming under the Pallavaram Municipality, said that for over a fortnight the Palar drinking water supplied to them was contaminated with sewage and other pollutants. They had sent representations to the local body in addition to the Deputy Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Saidapet. The problem was restricted to their locality. The source of contamination was local and hence it could be easily plugged, the residents added.

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