Chennai
The works were inaugurated by MLA P Balaraman, in the presence of officials from the local Panchayat and the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board.
Nevertheless, their wait will continue till the work on laying the 51-kilometre long network gets completed. Residents hope it will be finished on a priority basis ahead of the monsoon rains.
Vijay R, a 35-year-old owner of a grocery store, said that currently, there is no system in place for sewage management. “Some residents build a septic tank but, in most cases, the sewage ends up in the nearby waterbodies and canals,” he said.
The residents also must contend with poor quality roads, a reality until the works are completed. “The under-ground drainage system was proposed in 2011 at a cost of Rs 78 crore and the roads were supposed to be re-laid after the project. But since it did not take off due to legal issues over land acquisition, the roads have almost worn off and motorists struggle to ply through Ponneri every day,” said Gajendran, a social activist.
“Now, with the dusting off the project at a lessor cost excluding a few villages, we hope that the town gets new roads apart from the underground drainage system,” he added. The underground sewage system in Ponneri will have 8,581 connections and 1,870 manholes. A sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 65.82 lakh litres will be set up. “This project was supposed to have taken off years ago, but only now, it has fructified,” added Vijay.
The project was taken up after residents pushed the officials to consider their plea. A Government Order (GO) was issued allocating an estimated amount of Rs 54.78 crore for the first phase of the project. Under the Integrated City Development Project, Rs 50.97 crore has been allocated. Sites for the pumping station and sewage treatment plant have been identified, officials said.
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