Modern drainage system in Ambattur: crucial meeting tomorrow

By V. Prem Shanker

CHENNAI, JUNE 2. The tug of war between municipal authorities and residents in Ambattur, on commissioning a modern drainage system with World Bank assistance is to be discussed again on Sunday.

A year after the project was formally announced on June 4, 1999, the Ambattur Municipality will be convening a `make or mar' advisory meeting on the municipality's underground sewer network.

Municipal authorities said little progress had been made since the Rs. 35 crore underground sewer network, on the western side of the railway gate, was launched.

Officials feel that the project period has lapsed and any further delay will lead to an increase in the project outlay which will reflect on the contribution needed to be made by the residents.

According to the proposal, wards one to 17, except ward four and five, were to be covered by the underground network, benefiting 16,000 houses.

Deposits to the tune of Rs. 10,000 each were to be collected from the beneficiaries which, after public debates, was reduced to Rs. 9,000. In addition, they had to remit Rs. 350, as monthly maintenance charge, which was later reduced to Rs. 175.

A total of Rs. 10 crore was to be collected from the residents and the Municipality was expected to contribute Rs. five crore. Fund collection for the project commenced in February 2000 and only about 115 residents have paid the initial deposit.

Representatives of the residents in Ambattur said that apart from the general feeling that the deposit was too much for a project that was to take several years to materialise, they were `sceptical' about the whole idea. They felt that it was too vague. No assurance or time bound implementation was guaranteed.

Some residents pointed out that the deposit paid by residents of Alandur was much less (Rs. 5000) for a similar sewer project.

Members of some welfare forums in Ambattur have approached the municipality trying to convince them that the associations could be entrusted with the work of convincing the residents and collecting funds. The municipality, however, declined the offer of handing over the responsibility to social service organisations.

The municipality convened in-house sessions and meetings with representatives of the residents apart from conducting ward wise campaigning for the project by the elected representative of the area.

Despite the failure of these meetings to yield any concrete result, the officials have confirmed that no other alternative is being planned to help the project take off.

While the project seems to be heading for serious setback, with neither side ready to make a compromise, the local body feels that the meeting to be convened on Sunday could be `decisive', even in a negative sense.

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Section  : Southern States
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