Stormwater may be drained into lake

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Chennai mayor Saidai Duraisamy has said the top brass of the corporation would review water-logging at Guindy, Maduvankarai and Alandur areas to ensure that the localities do not suffer inundation during heavy rains. If required, the issue will be taken up with local administration minister K.P. Munusamy to prevent flooding in the area, he said.

The surplus stormwater collected in the low-lying areas of South Chennai will be drained into Velachery lake, he informed.

The mayor was responding to a series of queries posed by councillors elected from the Alandur–Guindy areas, during Friday’s council meeting.

“The unchecked, illegal sewer connections in Maduvankarai have been a problem for years and the corporation would coordinate with other departments to improve the situation.”

Further, the existing stormwater drains are worn out and suffer sedimentation. Desilting work has been completed and new drains will come up shortly. Already,Rs 1.51 crore has been allotted for the existing drain network.

The civic body also proposes to construct new exclusive channels to carry the stormwater and sewer in the Maduvankarai-Alandur region, he said.

To a question raised by councillor N.S. Mohan on the delay in completing the Velachery–Guindy stormwater drains, the Chennai mayor replied that the delay in construction of the remaining part of drains was mainly due to continuous sewer flow through the drain, but the civic body will take all efforts to complete the work soon, he said with confidence.

To another query raised by DMK councillor S.C. Bose on the delay in the ongoing desilting works, the mayor said an order to complete the drain work ahead of the monsoon has been issued.

‘Cholera toll high during stalin period’

Chennai mayor Saidai Duraisamy on Friday reiterated in the corporation council that the city had not so far witnessed any deaths due to cholera or diarrhoea.

A section of media and Opposition DMK created unwanted cholera panic and the situation is totally under control, he said.

The mayor on the record also tabled some data, which read that number of cholera deaths reached an all-time high in the city during the mayorship of M.K. Stalin from 1996 to 2001 when 15 cholera deaths had occurred.

“Guru (M.K. Stalin) and his sishya (M. Subramanian) failed to improve public health during their mayorship and the corporation records show their poor performance”, he said noting that between 1996 to 2001, as many as 23,732 people were admitted for acute diarhoreal infections and 8077 people suffered cholera resulting in a total death of 67 cases.

Mr Duraisamy also reiterated that the incidence of water borne and infectious diseases was at its peak whenever DMK was in power.

Now despite Chennai being expanded the number of cholera and diarrhoea cases was relatively low, he claimed and added that during his stint as mayor there have been 1,793 dirahoreal cases and 136 cholera cases admitted and discharged, Mr Duraisamy claimed.

Ruckus over mayor’s remark

Pandemonium prevailed in the corporation council on Friday after mayor Saidai Duraisamy alleged that the previous DMK mayors were a total failure in developing the city and handling infectious diseases.

Opposition DMK members cried foul and said the ruling AIADMK was trying to play politics to suppress the poor performance of the Chennai corporation and was making attempts to hide the number of cholera deaths.

The DMK council led by its floor leader Subash Chandra Bose termed the mayor’s allegations a bundle of lies.

In the melee, hardly half a dozen councillors spoke about public welfare and civic projects that have to be completed ahead of monsoon. Barring a few councillors most of the AIADMK councillors were seen teasing their DMK counterparts when Duraisamy read out facts related to the performance of previous mayors.

DMK councillor Vaasu walked to the well of the council and complained that the behaviour of a few AIADMK women councillors were disgusting as they have been using foul language inside the council hall. Mayor Duraisamy intervened and urged ruling party councillors not to engage in any verbal duel with their DMK counterparts.

AIADMK councillor R. Arulvel of (ward 57) wanted to know whether the corporation would be in a position to hand over a piece of vacant land from its Malaria Research Centre in Sowcarpet to a Jain community group that does social service.

Mr Duraisamy hit back saying that the research centre was benefiting 60 to 80 malaria patients per day and there was no need for the corporation to hand over its land to any NGO.