Coimbatore Corporation initiatives to improve City infrastructure

The Coimbatore Corporation is set to take up a number of works such as the construction of median and improving visibility and safety at traffic junctions across the city, as part of the infrastructure development works being done in view of the World Classical Tamil Conference in June this year.

Some of the main thoroughfares are to be provided with medians that will have ornamental plants. Mettupalayam Road and Tiruchi Road are some of the major roads to have medians.

Mettupalayam Road will have a median from Flower Bazaar to Kavundampalayam (a municipality on the northern border of the Corporation). The median on Tiruchi Road will be constructed in two phases. One will be built from Sanganur Canal to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. The other will be constructed from the Coimbatore Stock Exchange to the flyover at Ondipudur.

The Corporation has also drawn up a Rs. 75 lakh project for a median on Rangavilas Mill Road – from Avanashi Road to Anna Nagar.

Mettupalayam Road, which had been a source of frustration for the public for sometime because of its condition, will get a fresh look. The Corporation's new bus stand for Udhagamandalam-bound buses is nearing completion on this road.

While the road belongs to the National Highways Authority of India, the Corporation plans to improve the points where its roads meet the thoroughfare. This will be done from the Flower Bazaar to Kavundampalayam.

Footpath will be laid on either side of the road and storm water drains will be provided wherever necessary. Roadside parks will be built under the public-private partnership arrangement. The Corporation is into the process of inviting expression of interest from private parties to create the parks, install lights and maintain these areas for three years. The Corporation told its Council recently that the maintenance period could be extended by three years, if necessary.

The Corporation has also identified private parties for creating parks along the footpath on Avanashi Road, under the public-private partnership initiative.

Coimbatore Corporation increases drinking water tariff

After a protracted struggle, the Coimbatore Corporation managed to get the approval of the Council on Tuesday to increase the drinking water tariff. The sanction, however, came with a condition from councillors that the new rates should take effect only when the Corporation made 24-hour supply of water.

The Corporation wanted these to take effect on April 1 next year. But the parties wanted it to wait for more than a year till the 24-hour supply would begin.

The Corporation wanted to step up revenue from water supply to fund the Rs.113-crore Pilloor Phase II drinking water scheme.

Official sources, however, said that since the Council had passed the resolution on the tariff, the increase could be effected after the due consent from the Government was obtained, nothwithstanding the condition from the Councillors.

The Corporation on Tuesday did away with the slab system of tariff for one category of residential connections. A flat rate of Rs.100 a month would have to be paid for consumption up to 15,000 litres.

A tariff of Rs.6 per 1,000 litres would be charged for consumption between 15,001 litres to 20,000 litres.

The tariff for 20,001 litres to 1.5 lakh litres was fixed at Rs.8 per 1,000 litres and at Rs.11 per 1,000 litres for consumption above 1.5 lakh litres