The Tamil Nadu Government has announced a Rs 6,654.03-crore integrated urban development mission to upgrade basic infrastructure in major cities and towns.
According to an official press release, the project to be implemented in the city corporations and municipalities to upgrade drinking water supply, drainage, sewerage, solid waste management, parking facilities and public transport infrastructure in line with the increasing urbanisation in the State.
According to the 2011 Census, 48.45 per cent of the State's population is living in urban areas and in the next two decades this will increase to 67 per cent.
The Government will spend Rs 5,890.12 crore to provide these facilities in major cities and towns, and Rs 763.91 crore in town panchayats. (There are 10 city corporations, 148 municipal towns and 559 town panchayats in the State.)
In the current financial year, the State Government has sanctioned Rs 757.28 crore including Rs 506.48 crore for cities and large towns and Rs 250.80 crore for town panchayats, the release said.
To increase the drinking water supply to Chennai and fully utilise the 530-million-litres a day capacity of treated water available from the Chembarambakkam water treatment facility, an additional two-metre diameter pipeline will be laid over a 6.5-km up to the Poonamallee bypass junction from Chembarambakkam. The Government has earmarked Rs 40 crore for the project.