Merging of GCC with Metro water might happen in the future for sake of people
Posted on: 05/Apr/2019 10:04:44 AM
To improve co-ordination and efficiency, GCC or Greater Chennai Corporation wants all the civic services under one roof. It is now said that for this purpose GCC would soon submit a proposal to the state government to bring water supply and sewerage under its control. It is well known that water supply and sewerage is under the control of Metro Water now.
In the year 1978 Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Supply Board, MWSSB or Metro water was established. The main aim was to ensure the water supply got more attention and more funds were got from the international agencies.
The officials belonging to the civic body were unhappy about Metro water because Metro water in the last 40 years of time had added just 2 treatment plants. In addition to this the pipeline network did not expand as required. The amazing fact is in the last 40 years of time Chennai city has developed to a huge extent and despite of this the water supply and sewerage connections were not given in the added areas in Chennai.
It is important to note that projects like plugging the inflow of sewage into the water bodies claimed to have been completed were not monitored. When the plan gets approved by the state government then the city of Chennai would be benefited. This was confirmed by a corporation engineer. For each zone there are 2 executive engineers now and to ensure better coordination addition of engineers from Metro water department would be fantastic.
The engineer further explained about how whenever projects were proposed at the zone level, bus department plus other internal departments in the civic body opposes the projects. He threw light on how at present getting clarifications from the Metro water is difficult as his department would just have one coordination meeting and how being a separate body permissions and red tape delay the process. He also hinted about how most times the Metro water illegally cut roads that were newly laid.
As per a Metro water engineer, lack of coordination is present in all the departments. He then added that lack of coordination is present in TNEB also and pointed out that whether GCC could bring TNEB also under their control. To justify the plan to annex Metro Water, GCC has given many issues like added areas in Chennai yet to get water and sewerage connections, tender process in Metro line are not online etc.
