Corporation begins work on lake development project.

Earth movers have started rolling around the northern bund of the Ukkadam Periyakulam (Big Tank), marking the beginning of the Coimbatore Corporation’s lake development project under the Central Government-funded Smart Cities Mission.

The development and beautification of the northern bund of the Periyakulam, the development of the southern bund of Valangulam, beneath the bridge on the Ukkadam Bypass Road and the road across the Valangulam form part of the ₹89 crore project, which is only the first leg of the project though. The corporation took up the development of the three lakes alone calling it ‘Quick Win’ to expedite implementation. In the second leg, the corporation will take up the remaining six lakes – Narasampathy, Krishnampathy, Selvachinthamani, Singanallur, and a few other tanks and also the development of Trichy Road, linking the water bodies.

The corporation has estimated the total cost of the project at over ₹700 crore.

At the meeting held at the corporation a couple of days ago, the representatives of the agency that designed the lake development project, Oasis Resource Management Pvt. Ltd., briefed the officials on the work in progress and made a few demands.

The agency representatives urged the corporation to immediately constitute a coordination committee comprising its engineers from their counterparts from the State Highways Department, Tangedco, National Highways Department and Public Works Department to sort out ground level issues.

They told the corporation officials such a committee was necessary because the work on the ground involved shifting street light poles, transmission lines, etc. They also wanted the corporation to expedite the eviction of slum dwellers living on encroached land and suggested that engineers from the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board also be included in the committee.

The corporation along with agencies involved in the lake development project will soon call for entries from students and architects for a public art project that they will take up. The contestants will have to send drawings or designs to adorn the space that will developed on the lake front.

The agency representatives suggested to the corporation that a percentage of the lake development project be spent on developing public art and that a few cities selected under the Smart Cities Mission had done so. Corporation Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan immediately agreed to the proposal and asked engineers and the agency representatives to get in touch with institutions in the city for students, architects to contribute to the public art project.

Mr. Vijayakarthikeyan said that the civic body would also suitably reward those whose art work it selected.

THEHINDU