New drinking water supply scheme to be launched: Pondy CM

The Puducherry government is formulating a massive drinking water augmentation scheme for Puducherry region.
The French government-sponsored Agency (French Development Agency) in Paris has consented to provide a soft loan of Rs 1,400 crores for the project to augment the drinking water supply and also for laying underground drainage pipes in the Union Territory, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy told reporter here.
In the first phase, Rs 534 crores out of the total loan approved by the Agency would be spent for Puducherry region to augment water supply.
PWD and Local Administration Minister A Namassivayam said, the territorial government had inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the French Agency in New Delhi recently for the allocation of Rs 534 crores.

Chief Minister said the government would utilise the remaining amount for laying underground drainage pipeline and also for augmenting water supply in other three regions of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam in the next phase.
The government would soon constitute a special purpose vehicle to implement the Smart City project sanctioned for Puducherry by the Union Urban Development Ministry involving an investment of Rs 3,250 crores which includes allocation by the Centre and French government, he added.