Stalin inaugurates additional water supply initiative in Vellore, Tirupattur; permanent commercial complex for traders in Ranipet town

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday virtually inaugurated a combined water supply initiative in Gudiyatham and Madhanur that comes under Vellore and Tirupattur districts and a permanent commercial complex for retail and wholesale traders in Ranipet town.

Officials of Tamil Nadu Drinking Water Drainage Board (TNDWDB), which executed the work, said that the ₹12.92-crore project was being implemented under the Centrally-sponsored AMRUT 2.0 scheme (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation).

The initiative will help to meet the rising water requirements of residents, especially during summer. Vellore Collector V. R. Subbulaxmi inspected the new water storage facilities in Gudiyatham. “We are forced to trek to surrounding villages to fetch a few pots of water for domestic use on account of irregular water supply by the civic body. Additional water storage facilities will help in streamlining the water supply in the town,” said S. Pankajam, a resident in Gudiyatham town.

The Gudiyatham municipality in Vellore, and five villages and 17 habitations that fall under Madhanur panchayat union, near Ambur town in Tirupattur, are covered under the project. “The initiative would help provide piped water supply to more households, especially during summer. Palar river remains the key water source for the project,” S. Suresh Kumar, commissioner, Gudiyatham municipality, told The Hindu. 

At present, the municipality manages to generate around 8.85 MLD (millions of litres per day) under Palar and Cauvery Water Supply Scheme (CWSS) everyday. The existing water supply covers residents in only 24 of the 36 wards of the municipality. Even in these 24 wards, residents get piped water supply only once in two days. In other words, 92 litres per capita per day (LPCD) is available for residents in these wards. Tanker lorries and street corner tanks cater to the remaining public.

The Thursday’s initiative is aimed at bridging this gap. Under AMRUT 2.0 scheme, the municipality has built two OHTs (overhead tanks) with a storage capacity of 10 lakh litres each. A sump has also been constructed with a capacity of 23 lakh litres. Pipelines have been laid from the dry Palar river bed to the town to draw water to these new facilities to facilitate supply to the uncovered areas.

In Tirupattur, TNDWDB has started providing water supply to remote villages such as Chinnapallikuppam, Papanapalli, Vadakarai, Melsanakuppam and Vadacheri under Madhanur panchayat union near Ambur. The ₹4.95-crore project will cover at least 17 tribal habitations in the area. Around 8,000 families have been identified in these villages and habitations to be covered under the new water supply scheme.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated a permanent commercial complex for retail and wholesale traders in Ranipet town. The ₹11.52-crore building, which will be maintained by Ranipet municipality, has 300 shops for retailers and 60 shops for wholesale traders.

The new facility, established on around 56.23 sq.m., also has air-conditioned rooms for traders and drivers of goods-laden lorries to rest. Water facilities, washrooms, CCTV cameras and parking facilities have been provided. Prior to the new facility, open temporary shops were allotted for traders to sell their products.