Urban devt schemes get TN govt's nod

Chennai, Jan 22 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu government today gave approval for implementing various urban development schemes like providing basic amenities, housing and building a desalination plant for poor people living in urban areas at a total cost of Rs 1,596.30 crore.

Local Administration Minister M K Stalin gave approval for the schemes after the fifth integrated and monitoring committee meeting of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewable scheme at the Secretariat.

The scheme aimed at providing basic amenities like housing, drinking water and sanitation for the poor living in urban areas.

To address the city's drinking water problem, it had been decided to set up a desalination plant at Nemmeli, near Tiruporur, in Kancheepuram district at a cost of Rs 980.17 crore, an official release here said.

The plant, to be set up by the Chennai Metropolitan Drinking Water and Drainage Board, would provide 100 million litres of drinking water to the city per day, it said.

The meeting also sanctioned a sum of Rs 114.15 crore for providing housing and other basic amenities to people living in Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli Corporation limits and Sivaganga, Virudhunagar and Tuticorin municipalities, the release said.

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