Latest news with #Chithirai
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Councillors flag delay in road restoration, waste collection lapses
Madurai: The long delays in restoring roads damaged by the ongoing AMRUT Mullaperiyar drinking water project, and inefficient garbage collection by the agency assigned for solid waste management dominated the Madurai corporation council meeting on Tuesday. Councillors urged officials to fast-track pipeline-related tasks and ramp up workforce deployment across the city. The councillors expressed frustration at roads remaining dug up for months in core as well as extension areas. Officials said that nearly 92% of AMRUT pipeline work was over in extension areas, while progress in the core city was around 70%. Madurai South zonal chairperson Mugesh Sharma said many road works that were inaugurated weeks ago have failed to pick up speed. "The work that came to a halt during the Chithirai festival has never resumed in full swing. The contractor is sending just one or two workers a day, and the pace is far too slow," he said. North zonal chairperson Saravana Bhuvaneshwari highlighted the difficulties faced by residents living on poramboke land and others without patta. "They are being denied pipeline connections. Even those who apply for new connections are facing undue delays due to the inefficiency of contractors," she said. Corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan assured that access to water would not be denied based on land ownership, and alternative measures are being planned. You Can Also Check: Madurai AQI | Weather in Madurai | Bank Holidays in Madurai | Public Holidays in Madurai West zonal chairperson V Suveetha said the testing of overhead tanks in extension areas has slowed down. "Water supply is being given on a trial basis, but frequent pipeline bursts are being reported. We need more manpower for testing and supply stabilisation. Meter installation issues also remain unresolved," she said. Several councillors complained that the private agency handling solid waste management had reduced its efforts after night-time cleaning operations were introduced. Councillor Arun Kumar of ward 53 said the south and central zones were most affected. "The agency skips morning cleaning, claiming they completed work at night. Their attitude is lethargic," he said. Ward 40 councillor J Manickam said around 600 permanent corporation workers were reassigned to the agency, but waste management has not improved. "We receive daily complaints from residents," he said. Councillors also pointed out that the number of workers currently deployed is based on outdated 2019 surveys. Commissioner Chitra Vijayan said the corporation will hold talks with the agency and convene a meeting to address the issues raised. Road work before pipeline completion Opposition councillors raised concerns over road relaying in North and West zone areas even before completion of AMRUT drinking water pipeline work. They warned that freshly laid roads could be dug up again within months, as Mullaperiyar drinking water project is scheduled for completion only by December. AIADMK floor leader M Solai Raja pointed out that key pipeline works are pending in areas where minister P Moorthy recently launched road projects. He also criticised the installation of manual water meters, claiming they could lead to manipulation. Commissioner Chitra Vijayan assured that the works would be coordinated and roads would only be laid after completion of underground pipeline works.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
DMK obstructing Murugan meet: L Murugan
Madurai: Union minister of state L Murugan on Saturday accused the DMK government of deliberately creating obstacles to the Murugan Devotees Conference in Madurai, with the support of the police. He claimed the state's actions reflected fear over the growing influence of the event. "Despite the DMK's anti-Hindu stance and pressure tactics, the conference will proceed with full enthusiasm," Murugan said after visiting the venue. "Lakhs have already arrived in Madurai. The scale of participation is comparable to the Chithirai festival." Highlighting the BJP's past campaigns, he said, "We responded to those who insulted Kanda Sashti Kavasam with the Vel Yatra. This conference is our answer to the controversy in Thiruparankundram. Tomorrow, lakhs will sing the Kavasam in unison, and we urge other devotees to join in from their homes."
New Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
DMK attempting to destabilise PMK ahead of TN polls: PMK president Ramadoss
CHENNAI: For the first time, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has broken his silence over the ongoing differences between him and his father, party founder S Ramadoss, asserting that neither of them was responsible for the internal rift, which he attributed to external interference. He further alleged that the ruling DMK was attempting to destabilise the PMK by sowing confusion and internal discord ahead of the forthcoming elections. Addressing the PMK's Kancheepuram Revenue District General Council meeting held at a private marriage hall on Monday, Anbumani said the DMK was feeling unsettled by PMK's recent mobilisation, particularly after the success of its Chithirai full moon state conference held in Mahabalipuram on May 11. 'The chief minister is rattled by the momentum our party has gained. The DMK is the root cause of the ongoing confusion. They are trying to divide us from within and weaken the party,' he also alleged that certain individuals within the PMK were complicit in these attempts and warned that they would soon expose their names. 'The DMK's conspiracy will not succeed. My silence should not be mistaken for weakness – it is my strength,' he said.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Residents relieved as Panthalkudi STP is reactivated after one year
Madurai: The Panthalkudi sewage treatment plant (STP) on the northern bank of the Vaigai river is back in operation after lying idle for more than a year, providing relief to residents concerned about untreated water entering the Vaigai river ahead of the monsoon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The two-million-litre-per-day (MLD) facility, built at a cost of 3 crore in 2021, was dismantled a year ago when work on the 1.3km main arm of the Goripalayam flyover sliced through its site. With the flyover's deck-slab work now underway, Madurai corporation has reconstructed the plant a few metres downstream on land identified in consultation with the state highways (SH) department, which bore the relocation cost of roughly 1 crore. The restart comes barely a week after chief minister M K Stalin inspected the heavily silted Panthalkudi channel during his city visit. Civic officials hope the revived STP will prevent raw sewage from flowing directly into the Vaigai, especially when lakhs of devotees converge on the riverbank for Chithirai festivals. A senior corporation official said the plant was commissioned last week after trial runs showed "satisfactory treatment efficiency." "We re-laid the inlet mains, repaired the clarifier, and installed new disinfection lamps. All parameters are within permissible limits," the official told TOI. Civic activists, however, have criticised the relocation as a symptom of poor planning. "How could the corporation miss the flyover alignment when it set up an STP just three years ago? Now we're spending another 1 crore—public money wasted," said M Rajan, president of Vaigai Nathi Makkal Iyakkam. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Calling the present capacity "woefully inadequate," he pointed out that roughly 8 MLD of sewage flows through the channel on peak days. "At the very least, they should have doubled the capacity while shifting the plant," he argued, adding that the facility remained shut throughout the recent Chithirai festival, when demand is highest.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- The Hindu
Police constable recruits save boy's life during Chithirai festival
Some of the police constable recruits who were deployed for bandobust duty for Chithirai festival in Madurai acted swiftly and saved the life of a young boy who had suffered accidental electrocution at Tallakulam on May 11. Amid a sea of devotees, the boy collapsed after he suffered the electric shock. The police constable recruits - N. Chandramohan and T.R. Chinthanaivalavan - administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a life-saving technique. As they realised that an ambulance could not reach the spot as it was teeming with hundreds of thousands of people, the two, along with two of their colleagues E. Saranraj and L. Siman, carried the boy on their shoulders and rushed him to the Government Rajaji Hospital, finding way amid the crowd. Commissioner of Police J. Loganathan on Wednesday honoured the recruits for their timely and courageous intervention that got him prompt medical attention to save the boy's life.
