Latest news with #VaigaiNathiMakkalIyakkam
Time of India
2 days ago
- 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.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Water released from Vaigai dam for Kallazhagar's entry into river
Madurai: As part of the preparations for the much-anticipated entry of into the on May 12—a key highlight of the ongoing Chithirai festival—the public works department (PWD) released 1,000 cusecs of water from the Vaigai dam on water is expected to reach the Madurai stretch of the river by Saturday morning, May 10. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In anticipation, members of the Vaigai Nathi Makkal Iyakkam have planned a symbolic welcome ceremony on the riverbank near Alwarpuram, where the deity is scheduled to enter the event will include flower showers, traditional mangala isai (auspicious music), and a vibrant cultural procession. Children dressed as Meenakshi Amman, Lord Kallazhagar, and Karuppasamy will lead the welcome, reflecting the spiritual fervour surrounding the event. "This is not just a ritual; it's a celebration of Madurai's living tradition. The arrival of water and the deity is considered a divine blessing," said M Rajan, chief of the Kallazhagar Vaigai entry is is expected to draw thousands of devotees from across the region.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Panthalkudi sewage plant being restored at Rs1 crore ahead of Chithirai festival
Madurai: The Panthalkudi sewage treatment plant (STP) — dismantled for the ongoing Goripalayam flyover construction — is being restored by Madurai corporation at a cost of 1 crore to prevent untreated sewage from entering the Vaigai river during the Chithirai festivities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The plant, originally built at a cost of 3 crore to handle two million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, was constructed on the northern bank of the Vaigai near the route where Lord Kallazhagar traditionally enters the river. However, the 1.3km main arm of the Goripalayam flyover, which connects the Tamukkam ground entrance to the Anna statue junction, intersects the STP's site. With the flyover project now at the deck slab stage, corporation officials identified an alternate location near a public toilet close by. The state highways (SH) department, which is executing the flyover, will bear the cost of relocating the STP. "The issue will be fully resolved within 15 days — before Lord Alagar's Vaigai entry,"a senior corporation official said. However, civic activists called the situation a planning failure. "How could the corporation miss the flyover alignment when constructing an STP just three years ago? Now we're spending another 1 crore — it's public money wasted," said M Rajan, chief of Vaigai Nathi Makkal Iyakkam. However, he added that the restoration is crucial to ensure proper sewage treatment during the festival, which draws lakhs of devotees, and to protect the river from contamination.
