MADURAI: After depending on purchased drinking water for nearly two decades, the Regional Office of Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) at K Pudur in Madurai is set to receive piped water supply under the Mullaperiyar drinking water scheme.
Officials said the office has been depending on purchased potable water for several years after pipeline issues disrupted regular supply in the early 2000s.
A TNPDCL official said road-laying works carried out during the period led to the temporary disconnection of pipelines. Though local body officials had assured restoration of supply after repairs, the issue persisted due to leakages and other technical problems.
“Since then, TANGEDCO has been procuring potable water from the corporation. We have not paid water tax all these years,” the official said.
The office, which houses more than 700 staff members, currently purchases three to four tanker loads of water every week, with each load containing around 1,500 litres. “Around Rs 30,000 is spent every month on drinking water alone. With the implementation of the Mullaperiyar drinking water project in Madurai city, we sought a water connection for the TNPDCL regional office, and the corporation has now agreed to provide supply,” the official added.
CITU-TNPDCL Employees Union (Madurai) secretary P Arivazhagan said the regional office functions as the headquarters for Madurai, Theni, Ramanathapuram, and Virudhunagar districts. “Unfortunately, this is the only office in the Madurai district that still depends on water tankers for supply,” he said.
A senior corporation official said the office premises were earlier under a panchayat and were later merged with the corporation limits. “Pipelines for the TNPDCL office were laid a few weeks ago and the water supply will begin in the coming days,” the official added.
When contacted, a corporation official said he was unaware that the office had been functioning without a regular water connection for so many years.