Date:13/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/13/stories/2006121307230500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Others

Water connections given by mistake

M. Gunasekaran

Hospital gets excess quantity; disconnection ordered

TIRUPUR: The president and other representatives of Thottipalayam panchayat on the outskirts of Tirupur town have `detected' where the drinking water it is supposed to get from the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) was going all along.

Though the TWAD was providing a quantum of 3.30 lakh litres of water a day to the panchayat under the Tirupur Water Supply Scheme II as per the record, Thottipalayam did not receive even two lakh litres a day, panchayat president C. Rangasamy said. "The situation has turned worse for the last three to four months. We did not receive water at all," Mr Rangasamy said. But the water meter at the pump house at Bungalow Stop has been showing that the panchayat was drawing the water.

An intensified vigil and a detailed study, according to Mr. Rangasamy, revealed that a major chunk of water was going to a private hospital near the new bus stand here through 13 water connections.

"We have detected it on Monday night. The next day when we were on the way to the revenue divisional office to lodge a complaint we found a plumber digging the road and disconnecting the pipes,'' Mr. Rangasamy added.

Municipal Commissioner M. Ashokan said the hospital was provided with four connections in 1997 and another nine were given four months ago based on seniority. The field staff by mistake gave connection from the Thottipalayam main line as it goes along three other distribution lines of the Municipality, he said.

Mr. Ashokan said he had ordered to disconnect all the 13 connections from the Thottipalayam line and provide water from the Municipality's distribution main to the hospital.

A hospital official clarified that it was not their fault and they got connections as per rules and regulations of the local body and were paying water charges properly.

However, Mr. Rangasamy suspects a few more affluent could have got similar connections from the village's main pipe as it has round-the-clock water supply whereas the Municipality provide water once in two days, that too for an hour.

He urged the Municipality to conduct an inquiry to find out how many connections were given from its share between Bungalow Stop and New Bus Stand.