SIVAGANGA: Measures to lay roads in all municipalities as well as provision for street lights and other facilities would be ensured by the new Karaikudi corporation, said Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru in Karaikudi on Wednesday.
Speaking in the presence of Minister KR Periakaruppan, Nehru said the state government recently converted the Karaikudi special grade municipality into a corporation. Karaikudi was converted into a third-grade municipality in 1928 from town panchayat.
At the time, the municipality was 13.75 sq km and the population was around 15,350. Karaikudi’s population was 1.06 lakh, according to a census in 2011, which rose to 1.31 lakh in 2023, with 36 wards. It generates around Rs 47.48 crore in revenue every year, he said.
Further, he said that during the Assembly session in 2022-23, it was decided to convert Karaikudi into a corporation. As part of this, two town panchayats — Kottaiyur and Kandanur, and five village panchayats — Shankarapuram, Ilupaikudi, Ariyakudi, Kovilur and Thalakavur (Managiri) — were merged and brought under the Karaikudi corporation.
He said that with this merger, Karaikudi corporation's population stands at 2.45 lakh. Steps have been taken to provide 21.390 MLD of drinking water to 2,723 houses. Drinking water projects for Rs 1,752.73 crore are under way in the district, of which 95% of works have been completed.
This apart, 90% works of the Ramanathapuram combined drinking water scheme have been completed. Rs 72 crore is the estimated cost for the combined drinking water scheme for Karaikudi and administrative sanction has been given for Rs 112.53 crore for underground drainage in Karaikudi corporation, he said.
MP Karti P Chidambaram, Karaikudi Mayor S Muthudurai, Corporation Commissioner S Chithra Kumar and Deputy Mayor N Gunasekaran were among those present at the event.