CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, on Wednesday, announced a Rs 4,800 Crore desalination plant at Minjur with a capacity to treat 400 million litres of seawater a day to meet the drinking water requirements of North Chennai, Avadi, Ponneri and Minjur.
Announcing a slew of schemes for the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department in the Legislative Assembly under Rule 110, the Chief Minister announced that a new Rs 500 crore scheme would be implemented in Avadi Municipal Corporation to provide 24-hour drinking water supply to all households.
The CM also announced an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for improving drinking water facilities in the Madurai and Cuddalore municipal corporations, nine municipalities and 20 town panchayats.
Another Rs 300 crore would be allocated as the first phase of the renovation of 33 old combined drinking water supply schemes. A Rs 410 Crore scheme would also be implemented to augment the capacity of the Kilpauk Water Treatment Plant in Chennai.
The CM announced Rs 2,400 crore as the first phase of works to renovate the 40-year-old underground sewerage system in the Madurai Municipal Corporation.
New underground sewerage schemes would be implemented for Rs 960 crore in the uncovered and newly added areas of Nagercoil Municipal Corporation and in Kundrathur and Nandhivaram-Guduvanchery municipalities.
Rs 236 crore would be spent on improving drinking water and sewerage systems in areas including Perambur, Kolathur, Villivakkam and Egmore in Chennai.
Waste-to-Energy projects with power generation capacities of 9mw and 10mw would be implemented in Tirunelveli and Salem municipal corporations respectively.
The Tirunelveli project would cost Rs 256 crore, while the Salem project would cost Rs 291 crore, taking the total estimated cost of the two projects to Rs 547 crore.
The CM announced Rs 1,850 crore for road works in all urban local bodies, including Chennai, to repair roads damaged during excavation for drinking water and underground sewerage works and to construct new roads.
Under the Vettri Thamizhagam Vision Plan, the Greater Chennai Corporation would undertake works estimated at Rs 110 crore to create 35 km of people-friendly modern streets over an area of 45 sq km, provide 15 km of safe access to schools and improve 105 traffic islands.
Similar works in other municipal corporations would cost Rs 165 crore. The works would together be implemented as an Integrated Urban Development Project at an estimated cost of Rs 275 crore.
As part of urban greening initiatives, one crore saplings would be planted and maintained as a people's movement.
Large parks would be established in Trichy, Tiruppur and Pudukkottai districts for Rs 130 crore, while 250 new parks would be established across the State at Rs 175 crore. The total expenditure on these park projects would be Rs 305 crore.
The government would spend Rs 335 crore on improving infrastructure in schools under urban local bodies, including the construction of new classrooms and provision of modern facilities, to provide quality education and a safe environment.
In Chidambaram, Rs 36 crore would be spent on modernising the four car streets around the Thillai Nataraja temple. Drinking water, underground sewerage, electricity and telecommunications cables would be taken underground as part of the works.
A Heritage Walk from Fort St. David to Silver Beach in Cuddalore would be established for Rs 8 crore. Another Rs 50 crore would be spent on beautifying the Kanyakumari coastal area and improving facilities for tourists.
In addition, Rs 100 crore would be spent on improving basic infrastructure in areas of the Greater Chennai Corporation where facilities are inadequate. The works would include roads, storm-water drains, street lighting, footpaths, solid waste management facilities, playgrounds and community halls.
