Mayor M. Anbazhagan presiding over the Tiruchi City Corporation Council meeting on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: M. MOORTHY
Complaints over irregular drinking water distribution, faulty and dim streetlights, and a shortage of sanitation workers took centre stage at the Tiruchi Corporation Council meeting held on Thursday.Mayor M. Anbazhagan announced that the Corporation was preparing estimates for desilting storm-water drains and major canals, as well as carrying out road patchwork ahead of the monsoon. The sewage treatment plant at Panjapur would become operational by August, paving the way for the commissioning of the underground drainage project.Several councillors raised concerns over irregular drinking water distribution, attributing the problem to frequent power shutdowns, inadequate time allotted to fill overhead tanks, and a shortage of manpower to operate water supply motors for the past 15 days.Councillor V. Ramadoss, Ward 55, staged a sit-in protest demanding a regular drinking water supply to his ward. He said the Jaya Nagar overhead tank was not being filled adequately due to recurring power outages and insufficient pumping time, and urged the Corporation to increase the time allotted for filling the tank.Responding to the concerns, the Mayor said there was adequate water availability and announced that the 24x7 drinking water supply scheme would be implemented in Jaya Nagar, Star Nagar, and Karumandapam by July, with trial runs already under way at the newly constructed overhead tank in Star Nagar. He added frequent drinking water pipeline bursts across the city were disrupting supply and that repair works were in progress.Councillors highlighted the issue of dimly lit 20-watt LED streetlights in residential areas, including Khajamalai, Ponmalai, Sanjeevi Nagar, and Ramachandra Nagar. Councillor P. Jaffer Ali (Ward 61) said around 40 streetlights in his ward had been damaged during the recent monsoon. He added that a shortage of electricians was delaying replacement work.AIADMK councillor K. Ambikapathy (Ward 65) said his ward had only 23 sanitation workers compared to the earlier strength of 40, despite the presence of the airport within the ward. Councillor Khajamalai Vijay said only eight sanitation workers were available in his ward, making it difficult to carry out daily sanitation work effectively.A section of councillors pointed out garbage collection vehicles were not being deployed regularly to collect garden waste, resulting in waste being dumped along roadsides. They urged the Mayor to assign at least one collection vehicle to each ward once every four days.Councillor N. Senthil (Ward 43) urged the Corporation to repair faulty public toilets on priority. Mr. Anbazhagan responded that the Corporation would conduct a survey of damaged public toilets, including those in schools and anganwadis, and undertake the necessary repairs.Corporation Commissioner Veer Pratap Singh and Deputy Mayor G. Divya were present. Published - July 16, 2026 08:46 pm IST
