Tamil Nadu: MLAs unhappy over delay in water, infra projects

Chennai: Ruling AIADMK and the DMK MLAs are now on the same page. Cutting across party lines, the MLAs are now crying foul with the state municipal administration and water supply department for delaying the proposed drinking water and civic projects in the state. According to highly placed official sources, the area development works of MLAs had been adversely affected across the state due to lack of funds.

In several areas, the local bodies are unable to execute the drinking water schemes and the road development works proposed last year as the civic bodies have drained their capital and reserve funds. For several corporations and municipalities, the state is also yet to release funds to execute the civic works, sources added. “Though the state government sanctioned '470 crore for all the 234 MLAs in 2016 to execute area development works at a cost of '2 crore for each constituency, this work had not commenced till date in many constituencies represented by the DMK MLAs,” alleged M. Subramanian, Saidapet MLA and former Chennai Mayor.

As many as 23 works including provision of drinking water through borewells, construction of parks, provision of X-ray machines for Saidapet Government Hospital have been identified under area development fund and a consent letter issued last year, till date there is no progress on these works, Subramanian added. AIADMK MLA and former minister Thoppu Venkatachalam is also unhappy with the approach the municipal administration department. “I have met the municipal administration secretary and the TWAD board director at least 10 times seeking the implementation of the Perundurai–Kodiveri integrated drinking water scheme, but no progress till date,” Venkatachalam said.

“The project when announced by the then CM Jayalalithaa was estimated to cost Rs 125 crore and now the estimates due to delay has gone up to '140 crore,” the former minister rued. “I have been visiting the corporation and the slum clearance board officials to carry out the projects. But nothing has progressed in my constituency. Despite my approval letter to Chennai corporation officials, for the past eight months roads are not re-laid in ward 58 and slum board tenements not repaired in ward 104 and ward 77”, said Egmore legislator K.S. Ravichandran. Efforts to reach out the senior state officials proved futile.