VELLORE: Fifty wagons with 2.5 million litres of Cauvery water are all set to leave Jolarpet in Vellore on Friday morning as the arrangements for transporting water to Chennai city have been completed. The 50 wagon-train will transport 2.5 million litres a day initially, before roping in another rake shortly.
Top Railway officials made a final inspection on Thursday at the yard where the wagons have been stationed. “All the arrangements have been completed. The wagons are filled with water. Everything is in ready mode, will start transporting water from Jolarpet to Chennai on Friday morning,” a senior official of TN Water Supply and Drainage Board told Express. On Thursday, after it was found that excess water had been filled in as many as 27 wagons, the excess water had to be drained, said sources. The permissible amount of water to be filled in a wagon is a maximum of 50,000 litres.
While the actual plan was to transport water early in the morning on Thursday, it was delayed due to leakages and the excess amount of water filled in the wagons, sources said. Though the issues were resolved later, green signal from top government authorities to move the wagons had not been given yet.
The plan was rescheduled since the government had been arranging for a function to receive water at Chennai Metro Water facility in Villivakkam on Friday, the sources said.CM Edappadi K Palaniswami went into a huddle with top authorities and ministers to discuss the matter. Officials made a final inspection at the yard and the wagons. They expressed satisfaction over the arrangements.