Charging Jayalalitha regime with failing to anticipate the drinking water scarcity in Tamil Nadu and prepare adequately to deal with what has now become a severe crisis, DMK President and former Chief Minister Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi criticised her for merely making announcements under Section 110 of the Assembly rules without taking concrete steps to overcome the situation.
In his epistle to cadre on April 21, Kalaignar said after the ADMK assumed office the state was facing unprecedented power cut and people could not live in villages. This year farmers did not take up cultivation and those who did, could not harvest because these rulers could not get water in Cauvery. Now drinking water scarcity loomed large. There was unprecedented drying up of Mettur dam and dailies had published photographs of the river running like a stream. But concealing all these facts, the CM had announced new desalination plant at Nemmeli at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore.
Recalling the history on Nemmeli desalination plant that Jayalalitha inaugurated on 22.3.2013, Kalaignar said that due to the persistent demand of the DMK, the UPA government at the Centre immediately accepted the demand in 2004, and the Finance Minister in the Budget for 2004-05 announced allocation of Rs.1000 crore for desalination project with production capacity of 300 million litres a day for Chennai and town along Coramandal coast. The then ADMK government, in spite of several demands to utilise the Central fund and implement desalination plant for Chennai, did not do it till last.
After the DMK assumed power in 2006, implementing election promise a project report on Nemmeli desalination plant was prepared and Kalaignar himself presented it to the Union Finance Minster on 27.1.2008 and asked for immediate sanction and fund allocation. The Union Ministry for Urban Development recommended for allocation of Rs.908.28 crore and the Centre granted Rs.300 crore as first installment in March 2009. The works of the project were started by the then Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin on 23.2.2010 and they were targeted to be completed by December 2011. But because of the delay after the ADMK assumed power, it was completed only now and inaugurated.
In the statement read out by Jayalalitha she had pointed out that her previous regime took steps for establishing 100 million litter desalination plant in Minjur.
Only two companies, ‘M/S Krunichev State Research and Production Space Centre’, a Russian company and one among important firms of international standards and the other ‘M/s Morson Company’, a French firm. As the second firm did not file proper tender, only the Russian company remained in the final bid.
When a team of the Russian company came to Chennai and met the Minister of the department concerned and officials, they were orally assured that exemption would be given for advance deposit payment for the tender and would not be insisted upon. But in September 2003, the company learnt that tender would not be available for them because of non-payment of advance and they were the only one to bid the tender. As far as only bidder for tender, there was no provision either in the contract agreements or in the rules and regulations governing tenders to prohibit it. Mentioning all these, the company once again asked the CMWSSB to reconsider their petition. As there was no response, the company directly wrote to the Chief Minister on 15.9.2003 and 19.9.2003 for her direct intervention and help in the matter.
In the letter sent to the Chief Minister on 15.9.2003, they had stated that there seemed to be a different true reason for the wrong decision of the CMWSSB, that some persons claiming to be representatives of the board’s managing director and senior ministers contacted Moscow several times and demanded Rs.50 crore as bribe, that they were waiting outside the hall when tenders were opened and pressed for their demand and offered to provide all details about it if the state government instituted a detailed inquiry.
After this letter and without giving any reply to the company, once again advertisements were issued on 22.9.2003 calling for tenders for the same work. The affected Russian company filed a writ petition in Madras High Court, which ordered stay for the re-tender. During the hearing of the case the company’s lawyer submitted that they were in possession of tape-recorded evidence for the asking of bribery of Rs.50 crore. The hearing continued.
Kalaignar said that after the DMK returned to power in 2006, this scheme was reviewed and held talks with the Russian company. Following this, the already fixed price was reduced to some extent and foundation stone was laid by the then Local Administration Minister M.K.Stalin on 25.2.2007 and the experimental run of the plant was inaugurated by him on 2.6.2010 when he was the Minister in charge of the department and Deputy Chief Minster, although the establishment of the project got delayed due to several technical problems.
“Now the Krishna water supply to Poondi reservoir has been stopped and the water level in all the tanks that supply water to Chennai is depleting fast. Mettur dam also has gone dry. But without bothering about all these, the ADMK government has been announcing new schemes in the Assembly under rule 110. When will these schemes be implemented and when will people drink water? Will just paper announcements quench the thirst of people?” Kalaignar asked.
Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts were facing acute water scarcity. Water has depleted in tanks and wells. People were facing tremendous difficulties due to power cut also along with increasing demand for water. In many places people have started resorting to agitations for drinking water. People were seen roaming around with empty pots day and night.
“Social workers are accusing the government of being unfriendly with neighbouring states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala when the state was expecting them to release adequate water. Rivers like Cauvery, Vaigai and Tamiraparani have gone dry. The government had also failed to preserve water during rain season. With water level in rivers reduced ground water in coastal areas have turned saline unfit for use as drinking water.
For drinking water supply to Chennai, the total capacity of Red Hills, Sholavaram, Chembarambakkam and Poondi reservoirs is 11.057 tmc. But there were slush and mud up to a height of 10 feet which prevented storing of water to the full level. Similarly, as the Krishna canal from Kandaleru is not repaired the incoming water goes waste and stagnates in fields in Andhra.
The CMWSSB is supplying 831 million liter drinking water per day of which 766 million litre is for domestic use, 28 million litre for wholesale consumers and 37 million litres for industries. Private lorry owners were bringing water from Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts and selling 2,000 loads everyday to hotels in Chennai. This may go up in the coming days, he said.
“These rulers, who failed to get water for irrigation and left farmers in tears, got industries closed by effecting 16-18 hour power cut a day and left workers in lurch, had now caused drinking water scarcity and subjected women to roam around with empty pots. What more cruelties are in store?” Kalaignar wondered.
Recalling the controversy behind the Minjur plant, Kalaignar said that during the previous ADMK regime, the CMWSSB called for tenders for Minjur desalination plant.
In his epistle to cadre on April 21, Kalaignar said after the ADMK assumed office the state was facing unprecedented power cut and people could not live in villages. This year farmers did not take up cultivation and those who did, could not harvest because these rulers could not get water in Cauvery. Now drinking water scarcity loomed large. There was unprecedented drying up of Mettur dam and dailies had published photographs of the river running like a stream. But concealing all these facts, the CM had announced new desalination plant at Nemmeli at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore.
Recalling the history on Nemmeli desalination plant that Jayalalitha inaugurated on 22.3.2013, Kalaignar said that due to the persistent demand of the DMK, the UPA government at the Centre immediately accepted the demand in 2004, and the Finance Minister in the Budget for 2004-05 announced allocation of Rs.1000 crore for desalination project with production capacity of 300 million litres a day for Chennai and town along Coramandal coast. The then ADMK government, in spite of several demands to utilise the Central fund and implement desalination plant for Chennai, did not do it till last.
After the DMK assumed power in 2006, implementing election promise a project report on Nemmeli desalination plant was prepared and Kalaignar himself presented it to the Union Finance Minster on 27.1.2008 and asked for immediate sanction and fund allocation. The Union Ministry for Urban Development recommended for allocation of Rs.908.28 crore and the Centre granted Rs.300 crore as first installment in March 2009. The works of the project were started by the then Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin on 23.2.2010 and they were targeted to be completed by December 2011. But because of the delay after the ADMK assumed power, it was completed only now and inaugurated.
In the statement read out by Jayalalitha she had pointed out that her previous regime took steps for establishing 100 million litter desalination plant in Minjur.
Only two companies, ‘M/S Krunichev State Research and Production Space Centre’, a Russian company and one among important firms of international standards and the other ‘M/s Morson Company’, a French firm. As the second firm did not file proper tender, only the Russian company remained in the final bid.
When a team of the Russian company came to Chennai and met the Minister of the department concerned and officials, they were orally assured that exemption would be given for advance deposit payment for the tender and would not be insisted upon. But in September 2003, the company learnt that tender would not be available for them because of non-payment of advance and they were the only one to bid the tender. As far as only bidder for tender, there was no provision either in the contract agreements or in the rules and regulations governing tenders to prohibit it. Mentioning all these, the company once again asked the CMWSSB to reconsider their petition. As there was no response, the company directly wrote to the Chief Minister on 15.9.2003 and 19.9.2003 for her direct intervention and help in the matter.
In the letter sent to the Chief Minister on 15.9.2003, they had stated that there seemed to be a different true reason for the wrong decision of the CMWSSB, that some persons claiming to be representatives of the board’s managing director and senior ministers contacted Moscow several times and demanded Rs.50 crore as bribe, that they were waiting outside the hall when tenders were opened and pressed for their demand and offered to provide all details about it if the state government instituted a detailed inquiry.
After this letter and without giving any reply to the company, once again advertisements were issued on 22.9.2003 calling for tenders for the same work. The affected Russian company filed a writ petition in Madras High Court, which ordered stay for the re-tender. During the hearing of the case the company’s lawyer submitted that they were in possession of tape-recorded evidence for the asking of bribery of Rs.50 crore. The hearing continued.
Kalaignar said that after the DMK returned to power in 2006, this scheme was reviewed and held talks with the Russian company. Following this, the already fixed price was reduced to some extent and foundation stone was laid by the then Local Administration Minister M.K.Stalin on 25.2.2007 and the experimental run of the plant was inaugurated by him on 2.6.2010 when he was the Minister in charge of the department and Deputy Chief Minster, although the establishment of the project got delayed due to several technical problems.
“Now the Krishna water supply to Poondi reservoir has been stopped and the water level in all the tanks that supply water to Chennai is depleting fast. Mettur dam also has gone dry. But without bothering about all these, the ADMK government has been announcing new schemes in the Assembly under rule 110. When will these schemes be implemented and when will people drink water? Will just paper announcements quench the thirst of people?” Kalaignar asked.
Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts were facing acute water scarcity. Water has depleted in tanks and wells. People were facing tremendous difficulties due to power cut also along with increasing demand for water. In many places people have started resorting to agitations for drinking water. People were seen roaming around with empty pots day and night.
“Social workers are accusing the government of being unfriendly with neighbouring states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala when the state was expecting them to release adequate water. Rivers like Cauvery, Vaigai and Tamiraparani have gone dry. The government had also failed to preserve water during rain season. With water level in rivers reduced ground water in coastal areas have turned saline unfit for use as drinking water.
For drinking water supply to Chennai, the total capacity of Red Hills, Sholavaram, Chembarambakkam and Poondi reservoirs is 11.057 tmc. But there were slush and mud up to a height of 10 feet which prevented storing of water to the full level. Similarly, as the Krishna canal from Kandaleru is not repaired the incoming water goes waste and stagnates in fields in Andhra.
The CMWSSB is supplying 831 million liter drinking water per day of which 766 million litre is for domestic use, 28 million litre for wholesale consumers and 37 million litres for industries. Private lorry owners were bringing water from Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts and selling 2,000 loads everyday to hotels in Chennai. This may go up in the coming days, he said.
“These rulers, who failed to get water for irrigation and left farmers in tears, got industries closed by effecting 16-18 hour power cut a day and left workers in lurch, had now caused drinking water scarcity and subjected women to roam around with empty pots. What more cruelties are in store?” Kalaignar wondered.
Recalling the controversy behind the Minjur plant, Kalaignar said that during the previous ADMK regime, the CMWSSB called for tenders for Minjur desalination plant.
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