Mayor hints of alternative day supply of drinking water in Tiruchi during peak summer

Tiruchi Mayor discusses water supply issues, tax collection, and drug problem in council meeting.

Mayor M. Anbazhagan on Wednesday said Tiruchi Corporation might resort to the system of alternative day water supply to residents if it faced constrains in drawing water from its sources in the riverbeds of the Cauvery and the Kollidam.

Responding to the queries of the councillors cutting across the party affiliations, who raised the issue of short supply of drinking water in many areas in the council meeting held here, Mr. Anbazhagan said the Corporation was supplying water to the residents twice a day. Except for some issues here and there, there were no major issues in drinking water supply. However, the continuing dry spell and depleting ground water table might pose some issues in drinking water supply during peak summer. It might lead to the system of alternative day water supply. As a precautionary step, six bore wells had been sunk to maintain usual water supply.

V. Ramadoss of the DMK, representing ward 55, said that several areas in Karumandapam had been facing water supply issue. No sufficient water supply was ensured in the ward. Despite of overhead tanks at Khajpettai and Pon. Nagar, residents could not receive sufficient water supply.

Pointing to the intensive property tax collection drive by the authorities in the city, P.Senthilnathan of the AMMK representing ward 47, said that there were two more weeks for paying property and water taxes, the authorities had been exerting undue pressure on the assessees to pay taxes to the civic body. The authorities had issued warning that water supply would be disconnected to the houses if taxes were not paid immediately. The authorities could not resort to such harsh measures when the people had time to pay taxes.

DMK councillors T. Muthuselvam and Khajamalai Vijay also opposed the harsh measures for collecting taxes. Mr. Anbazhagan said that 62% of taxes had so far been collected from the assessees. Steps have been taken to achieve 90% tax collection within March 31.

K.K. Ambikapathi of the AIADMK representing ward 65 alleged that the banned drug substances were freely available in the markets in the city. The Corporation and the authorities concerned had failed take action against those marketing and selling the drug substances.