COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has submitted a proposal to the state government seeking allocation of Rs 235 crore for the next phase of the Sanganoor Canal rejuvenation project which envisages laying road for 6.5 km on one of the banks to connect Mettupalayam Road and Trichy Road via Sathyamangalam Road and Avinashi Road.
The dredging and development of Sanganoor stream was launched by the chief minister at a cost of Rs 49 crore in November 2021. CCMC suspended the work for the last 10 months. Sources said the civic body is waiting for Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) to allot houses for people who are evicted from the banks to resume the work.
The 11 km long Sanganoor stream which passes right through the centre of the city has been turned into a sewage canal. The dredging and development work was to be carried out in two phases. In the first phase, the civic body would rejuvenate the canal for 2.3 km starting from Mettupalayam Road to the Rathinapuri at a cost of Rs 49 crore. As part of the work, the civic body will build gabion walls on both sides of the canal, lay chip stones on the channel bed, strengthen the bunds by constructing reinforced concrete walls, lay pathways for pedestrians and pave roads on one side of the stream for vehicle movement. Since June 2023, the work is being carried out at a snail’s pace. Over 2,000 families who have encroached the banks and built houses are yet to be relocated.
Recently, the CCMC sent a proposal to the government seeking Rs 235 to carry out the second phase of the project in three packages. Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said, “A proposal has been sent to the state government seeking funds and a nod for the next phase of the Sanganoor Canal rejuvenation works at an estimated cost of about Rs 235 crore. We are expecting the approval and funds for the project soon.”