New UGD connections receive lukewarm response from Tiruchi residents

Tiruchi Corporation faces lukewarm response for new underground drainage connections, urging property owners to apply for UGD.

Though almost eight months have gone by since the Tiruchi Corporation began the process of receiving applications for the new underground drainage connections, the civic body says it has received lukewarm response from property owners.

While the underground drainage work is continuing in a few areas as part of the Phase-III project, the civic body has completed most of the work under Phase-II of the UGD project. There are six sub-pumping stations in the phase-II UGD scheme. Of them, it is said that all works of third and fourth sub-pumping stations have been completed. The construction of a sewage treatment plant at Keezha Kalkandarkottai has also been completed. The Corporation is in a position to give new UGD connections to residents belonging to Ward Nos. 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, and 44.

The civic body has also conducted a trial run of the underground drainage system in a few areas of the city to test the efficacy of it and noting down problems. As a first step of providing UGD connections, the Corporation began receiving applications in October last. The residents handed over filled-up forms along with receipts of house tax and UGD deposits. But the number of applications were not on the expected line. Only a few property owners came forward to submit the filled up applications.

To create awareness among the residents about the availability of new UGD connections and receive applications, the Corporation held a special camp at Kattur a few months ago. It was expected that the residents would throng in large numbers to submit applications. However, it is said that only 630 applications were submitted in the camp. The Corporation has so far received about 2,000 applications.

“We can not say that the response is poor. We continue to receive applications. But we require more applications. We will conduct more special camps in the areas where UGD works have been completed. The councillors of the respective wards have a great role to play in spreading awareness about the need of using the civic infrastructure,” says M. Anbazhagan, Mayor, Tiruchi Corporation.