Water from Jolarpet: Pay and use our wagons, says Southern Railway

Chennai: The severe water crisis facing the people of greater Chennai is a humanitarian issue, but the Southern Railway (SR) has clearly told the Tamil Nadu government to bear all expenses for transporting the water in rail tankers from Jolarpet in Vellore district to Villivakkam station here while giving its nod.

The SR in a letter to the TWAD board, it is learnt has said that not only should the State government pay freight charges for transporting the water from Jolarpet in rail tankers but also provide for cleaning the rail tankers in the first place. The freight rate and the attendant conditions for use of rail tankers have been conveyed to the State government.  

The Tamil Nadu government is planning to lift the water, aggregated near Jolarpet from the Cauvery combined water supply project reaching Vellore district, at a place called Mettu Sakkarakuppam. Led by Vellore district collector and other officials, inspections are going on at that spot and the government is keen to lay pipes at the earliest from the large overhead water tank at Mettu Sakkarakuppam to Jolarpet railway station.  

The State plans to ferry one crore litres of water per day to the city from Jolarpet under the proposed plan for a period of six months and accordingly Tamil Nadu government urged SR to allocate suitable number of rail tankers for the project. Meanwhile, further inspection of the water aggregating point was done today.