Date:08/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/08/stories/2006090813420100.htm

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Metrowater Board fully an official body now

T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI With Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin, the only non-official representative on the Board of Directors of Chennai Metrowater, being replaced by the Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department, the water agency's Board has only officials now.

About 10 days ago, the Government issued an order, making the MAWS department secretary the ex-officio chairman of Metrowater. K. Deenabandu, an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1982 batch, is the present secretary. Since December 1997, the Minister for Local Administration and Rural Development had been the ex-officio chairman of Metrowater.

The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Act provides for six non-official directors to the Metrowater Board, but all the posts have remained vacant nearly for two decades, except that of non-official technical director, which was occupied till 1990s.

Under the Act, there will be one woman, one person representing the interests of the public, one qualified Chartered or Cost Accountant having experience in Government or commercial accounting, a public health or water works engineer and two to represent major industrial or commercial establishments in the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

Before December 1997, Jeppiaar was the only non-official person to be Chairman of Metrowater (July 1986-October 1988).

B.B. Sundaresan, former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University, N. Mahalingam, and A.C.Muthiah industrialists, Sarojini Varadappan, social activist, were among the prominent non-official directors.

Conscious of the need for allowing public representatives to participate in the scheme of things of Metrowater, the previous regime of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1996-2001) created the joint council.

Headed by the Chennai Mayor, the council had comprised Chennai Corporation's councillors and officials of the civic body and Metrowater. It became defunct after the change of regime in 2001.