JOIN USVarthur directs Kolar City municipal authorities to repair tap connections in all wards.
District in-charge minister R Varthur Prakash has directed the municipal authorities to repair tap connections to all the 35 wards in the town since supply of water through tankers will be halted in a month.
Speaking at a special meeting in the municipality office here on Thursday, Varthur said the councillors won’t show interest to repair tap connections as long as water was supplied through tankers. Supply of water through tankers causes huge financial burden on the municipality and hence steps should be taken to repair the faulty tap connections, the minister said.
Varthur said about 190 tankers of water was being supplied to Kolar on daily basis and it would be prudent to divert the money spent on tankers for repair of tap connections.
The minister said as many as 18 borewells had been sunk in Maderehali tank and motors had been installed for six. A similar work had been taken up on Kodikannur tank too. Borewell water will be supplied to all wards, he added.
He said the State Finance Commission has released a sum of Rs 4.90 crore for the financial year 2012-13 and directed the authorities concerned to draft an action plan and call tenders on Friday itself.
Similarly, the municipal commissioner, municipal president and the chairperson of standing committee on social justice should conduct a meeting on utilisation of the funds provided under 22.75 pc scheme, for the benefit of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
He said a major portion of the stipulated sum of Rs 78 lakh should be utilised for the wards with high concentration of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Contractors have begun to shun the municipality projects this leads to a delay in tender process. “I have spent my personal money of Rs 1.60 crore on water supply projects and I have records to substantiate my claim,” Varthur said.
He disclosed the municipality has received as many as 300 applications seeking information on the works taken up to supply water to 15 wards. “I have paid about Rs five lakh for whitewashing cisterns and another Rs one lakh to each contractor.”
Varthur said he wouldn’t visit the wards if the councillors desire so, but would extend all necessary assistance for development of any ward. He said he will make efforts for the release of Rs 20 crore to the town during the 11 month tenure of the State government.
Councillors Aslam, Ravindra, Jaffer and Chandpasha expressed their unhappiness over the problems pertaining to garbage clearance and water shortage in their wards. Vice president L Khaleel Ahmed alleged that the computers and sewing machines given to scheduled castes under the government welfare schemes were being sold out. However, Lalbahadur Shastry, a member, took objection to the allegation.
The meeting resolved to formulate an action plan for the Rs 50.50 lakh grant released for the year 2012-13 and approve the projects taken up on the direction of the president. The Council also okayed the Rs 30.21-lakh action plan for installation of motors to the borewells.
Standing committee chairperson C Somashekhar and municipal commissioner Mahendra Kumar were present in the meeting.