ONGOLE: All nine urban local bodies in Prakasam district, including Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC), have submitted summer drinking water supply action plans worth Rs 9.55 crore to the state Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department.
OMC’s Public Health–Municipal Engineering wing proposed the largest plan at Rs 3.94 crore, covering tanker charges, borewell repairs, deepening works, and spare parts. Kanigiri municipality estimated Rs 1.47 crore, Giddalur Rs 1.14 crore, Markapuram Rs 95 lakh, Podili Rs 84 lakh, Addanki and Kandukur Rs 36 lakh each, Darsi Rs 29 lakh, and Chimakurthy Nagara Panchayat Rs 18 lakh.
OMC engineer P Isaiah noted that no funds were sanctioned by the previous government, but municipalities are hopeful under the new directive. Tanker supplies remain a major financial burden: OMC runs 250–260 tankers daily at nearly Rs 2 crore annually, plus Rs 30 lakh for pipeline leakages.
Kanigiri operates 160 trips daily costing Rs 1.20 crore yearly, while Giddalur spends Rs 72 lakh for 100 trips per day over 180–190 days.
Relief is expected under AMRUT 2.0, which sanctioned Rs 484 crore to OMC for laying 300 km of new pipelines to supplement the existing 400 km network, reducing tanker dependence.