Date:28/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/28/stories/2007092850210100.htm

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Stalin inaugurates sewer system in Thanjavur

Special Correspondent

Basic amenities in town panchayats to be improved
Government waives loans of civic bodies to lessen burden

THANJAVUR: Basic amenities in all 561 town panchayats in the State would be improved under Anaithu Perooratchi Anna Marumalarchi Thittam in four years, Local Administration Minister M. K. Stalin said on Thursday.

Speaking at a function to inaugurate an underground drainage (UGD) system here, he said that basic amenities in 22 town panchayats in Thanjavur district would be improved. Each town panchayat had been allotted Rs. 50 lakh.

Mr. Stalin said the government had waived the loans of municipalities and corporations to lessen their burden. They had been paying penal interest and were not able to get out of the debt burden.

Thanjavur district has three municipalities –Thanjavur, Kumbakonam and Pattukottai _ which account for a debt of Rs. 24.90 crore, including principal of Rs. 13.14 crore and interest of Rs. 11.82 crore. These loans have been waived.

The UGD system in Thanjavur, though delayed, had now been completed. The Rs.70-crore-project would provide 30,000 house connections. One sewage treatment plant and five pumping stations had been completed for this project, he said.

Mr. Stalin declared open 418 completed works worth Rs. 98.49 crore and laid the foundation stone for 748 works worth Rs. 97.8 crore on the occasion. He distributed benefits to the poor.

Union Ministers S. S. Palani Manickam and S. Regupathy, State Ministers Ko. Si. Mani, S. N. M. Ubayathullah, U. R. Periyakaruppan, Suba Thangavelan, TWAD Board Managing Director Swaran Singh, Collector C. Vijayaraj Kumar, MLAs Durai Chandrasekaran, N. R. Rangarajan and Mahesh Krishnasamy participated.