Newly-added areas in North Madurai to get underground drainage

Madurai: The newly-added areas in the northern part of Madurai city, consisting of zone I and zone II, will get the much-awaited underground drainage facility soon. Madurai Corporation has obtained administration sanction for the Rs 290-crore proposal planned under the Smart City scheme. A high power committee set up for the Smart City projects led by state finance secretary gave the approval in a meeting held in Chennai on Friday.

Tender works will begin once the required technical sanction, which is expected in a week or two, is obtained by the corporation. “While the exact estimated cost is Rs 291.37 crore, only Rs 247.90 crore was sought under the Smart City scheme. The rest will be meted out through connection deposits collected from the users. The deposit amount paid by the residents will vary according to the building size,” an official said.

Madurai Corporation has underground drainage system in the old city comprising 72 wards. Although 28 wards were annexed in 2011, they were not provided with facilities such as underground drainage or piped drinking water connection. The project proposed by the corporation will cover 15 wards, including 10 wards in Zone II and five wards in Zone I.

Residents of the areas have welcomed the move and urged the corporation to finish the project fast. “It has been our long-pending demand. Although corporation officials have promised a separate project, they were dragging it for long. We want the proposal to become a reality at the earliest,” said G Nallamuthu, a resident of Anaiyur.

S Sivabalan, a resident of Avaniyapuram, was not amused as the southern parts of the city, which do not have the facility, were left out. Open drainage is creating a lot of health issues, particularly among children and elders. “Fresh water gets stagnated in the drainage channels during rainy season, leading to spread of diseases such as dengue. The authorities should take up all the 28 wards together for the proposal,” he said.

Another official from the civic body said that there is a proposal to cover the areas in the southern parts of the city and they are exploring funding options to carry out the work. “We had a detailed project report for the left out areas. There is a lack of funds under Smart City scheme to cover all the 28 wards. We are exploring the possibilities of covering the left out areas under Amrut scheme,” he said

Wards to get UGD

Ward number

Zone

Area name

1

Zone I

Santhi Nagar

2

Koodal Nagar

3

Anaiyur

4

Sambandar-Alangulam

23

Visalakshi Nagar

24

Zone II

Thirupalai

25

Kannanendal

26

Parasuramanpatti

28

Uthangudi

29

Masthanpatti

30

Melamadai

31

Tahsildar Nagar

32

Vandiyur

48

Aathikulam

49

Naganakulam