Vociferous demands: Councillors taking part in a municipal council meeting in Cuddalore on Friday.
CUDDALORE:
The Cuddalore Municipality on Friday initiated tender procedures for taking up preliminary works to the construction of a subway at the Lawrence Road railway crossing here.
Since the major water pipeline is passing through this stretch, an alternative arrangement has to be made before starting the subway project, according to M. Elangovan, Commissioner, Cuddalore Municipality.
He told The Hindu that it was the responsibility of the civic body to take up the pipeline work. It had two components:
replacing the pumping main, and, re-laying the sub-connections branching out from the former. The estimated cost of these works would be Rs. 90 lakh and Rs. 93 lakh respectively. Mr Elangovan further said that the same contractor had submitted tenders for both the works. However, as he did not have the “capacity” to execute the works, his tender for the first component would be considered, whereas a re-tender would be called for the second component.
After the pipeline work was completed the Highways Department would have to begin its work on the subway project. Experience had shown that construction of a subway would take more time than construction of a high-level bridge because of the complexities involved in the civic works. Therefore, he would not specify the time frame within which the subway project would be completed.
However, Mr. Elangovan underscored the point that the civic body was fully aware of the long-standing need for the subway and once put in place, it would verily ease traffic congestion. The council meeting, with T. Thangarasu in the chair, witnessed vociferous demands from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam councillors to put up a bigger portrait of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the Council Hall prominently by replacing the smaller one already present in “an obscure corner.”
The Commissioner said that the civic body complied with the stipulations on the order of priority to be given to the national and State-level leaders and also conformed to the size factors. When certain councillors raised the demand that the free colour television sets that were stacked in godowns should be distributed, the Commission said that soon after the Assembly election schedule was announced, the TV sets were kept in safe custody in taluk offices. Further instructions are awaited from the government on the next step to be taken.
Certain councillors faulted Chairman Thangarasu for a news report which appeared in a section of the press casting aspersions on the elected representatives for the undue delay in the execution of the subway project. They opined that the Chairman should have issued a rebuttal and safeguarded the dignity of the civic body.
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