VVT Urban Council - Proposed Projects & work programmes by Selvendra

Valvettithurai Urban Council : Proposed Projects & work programmes - S. Selvendra

1. Review the functioning of the council ensuring that there are no revenue leaks. Study past audit reports and attend to pending matters. Check outstanding debtors & make arrangements to recover all long outstanding if any.
2. Obtain list of ongoing projects (work-in-progress) and assess progress and discuss ways to expedite completion date with the Secretary, T.O. and the planning officer. Ascertain the source of funding for each of these projects and whether there are balances remaining in each of the project funds and where these balances have been credited? Explore ways of using these balance funds to other projects.
3. Obtain details of funds earmarked for projects and are available for implementation from the planning officer/ Accountant. Initiate action to implement them with the T.O and planning officer.
4. Review the Council budget for 2025.
5. Obtain Google maps for each of the wards and areas adjoining the wards and up to land between Vallai road and the river up to vallai road and plan areas to be requested to be added to existing council area in consultation with our ward members. Apply to the Delimitation Commission specifying the areas to be annexed to our council, rationalising and justifying our request.
6. Request funds for improvements of council roads and prepare a plan to systematically improve all council roads and lanes. Get full details of council roads. If there are roads belonging to RDD, list particulars of such roads and liaise with them to upgrade these roads.
7. Obtain a complete report of all drains in our area and whether there are any sections of these drains that need to be redone or repaired. Also check whether there are proper arrangements for properly empty these drains.
8. In consultation with ward members attend to the requirements of each ward such as street lights, drainage, managing flooding, developing park etc.
9. Staff cadre: What is the approved staff cadre; how many vacancies are available due to retirements and since when; when was the request made to fill vacancies & also to increase the staff cadre. Study the file and apply for permission to fill existing cadre vacancies and also apply to increase the staff cadre including gardeners for Theeruvil park; additional staff cadre to manage the swimming pool and for any other additional work load. Follow this up with the Local Govt. Ministry Secretary in Jaffna.
10. Property List: Obtain list of all immovable and movable property & see whether periodical verifications were carried out. If not, arrange to carry out physical verification. Ensure that there are specific asset registers and separate registers maintained to record repairs and maintenance.
11. Title Deeds: Ensure that title deeds are available for all council properties. If not make arrangements to obtain title deeds particularly cemeteries, VVT junction bus stand and the adjoining library building, land adjoining junction building and adjoining the church. Check registration documents for vehicles and other movables.
12. Additional Equipments: Ascertain equipments necessary to carry out work more efficiently such as tractor, mini tractor/ loader, digging equipments and other tools are available. Arrange to purchase necessary tools and equipments.
13. Routine Rating Assessments: Check with the Revenue section whether rating assessments are being carried out on due dates regularly.
14. Rating Assessment of new properties: Check whether rating assessment has been revised for all new houses for which COC were granted during last 3 years and ensure that rating assessments had been revised accordingly.
15. Leasehold Properties: Arrange to buy or take on lease the lands adjoining Myliyathannai cemetery and Thondaimanaru cemetery to be used as a sorting area of refuses collected daily by the council tractors and to set up an organic manure factory.
16. Speak to DS, Pt. Pedro & arrange to obtain title deeds for crown lands alongside the Thondaimannaru lagoon.
17. Arrange with the DS, Pt. Pedro to get the Survey Dept. to give us topographical maps to enable us to get irrigation engineers to design flood water management arrangements particularly for Polikandy, Ellangulam, Vervil, Theeruvil, Commanthurai and Thondamanaru regions.
18. Performance Evaluation: Obtain check list adopted for evaluating performance of the Council & see what more remains to be done.
19. Intended Projects for implementation: Study projects already approved & awaiting implementation as well as other intended projects and identify source of funding. Obtain necessary approvals for all intended projects and prioritise and start implementing them as soon as possible. Example:

1. Fish market renovation: colour washing, wash rooms, cold storage, waiting section, scenery pictures in walls; 

Review refuses collection and other cleanliness requirements & upper floor modification as an in-door play area. Pay particular attention for placing bins to collect fish waste which could be used as raw material for animal feed

Discuss the possibility of converting fish market waste into chicken feed. In this regard

discus with Agricultural officer.

b)Do up Raevady road from fish market up to raevady linking Junction lane.

c)Parking area at raevady: Do it up properly. Construct the foundation around our land

constructing two or three public wash rooms to help sea bathers also on the western side

and level up the land as a parking area. Do up the drain emptying the flowing water into

a pit which should be emptied regularly.

e)Land scape & Beautify food court area: Construct 1 or 2 more floors to the food court

building as hotel rooms.

g)Install a lift to this building.

h)Pack granite stones as a broad step along the beach at raevady grounds. Already verbal

approval was obtained from Coast Conservation officer.

i)Road linking dispensary road to beach road. Do it up with council permission.

j)Boundary wall around council land east end with a gate where vehicles could go through.

k)Connect the beach road to main road at the east end near the girls college grounds and

the west end at aathikovilady: Acquire required lands. Construct a strong retaining wall

inside the sea to accommodate the extension of the road at the east end. Fix a few seats

along the Northern end. Fix street lights. Get the girl school OGA to level up the land of

the play field and if desired to construct a pavilion. Speak to OSA members.

l) Repair all damages on roads in council area. If necessary consult RDA authorities and

obtain required premix and road roller from them.

m)Two culverts at Theeruvil road and clean up the pavements. Explore possibility of fixing

paving stones, plant avenue trees.

n)Numbering houses and fixing lane names: Take this project ward by ward until full

implementation for all wards.

o)Apply to the Local Govt. Ministry to get a sewerage system installed to the Council

region. The installation of sewage disposal infrastructure has become an urgent

necessity as there is an acute scarcity of land for house construction in VVT area. The

only option available to deal with this situation is to facilitate the construction of high

rise apartment ownership by providing the necessary infrastructure support.

p)attend to repairs and painting of the Council Office building.

20. Direct labour: Explore possibility of getting small projects done by direct labour instead of giving them on contracts.
21. Swimming pool:
22. Review swimming pool operations and make necessary arrangements for efficient

     management of the pool by the Council. Pay particular arrangements to get approval for

the staff cadre and until such time make interim arrangements and appoint the necessary

key staff and commence operations.

*Raise boundary walls of swimming pool.

*Attend to roof repairs.

*Explore the possibility of selling advertising space on the walls.

*Fix solar panels;

*Sink a tube well on the eastern land to meet part of the water requirements.

*Attend to deep cleaning of the pool

*Ensure continuous purity of pool water with sufficient know how arrangements.

*Discuss with Sports Ministry officials in Jaffna and arrange swimming competitions.

*Offer group discounts for all schools in our region and encourage their participation.

22. Anchorage projects:
23. Apply to the Fisheries Ministry to restart the suspended anchorage project at

      Aathikovilady.

*To extend this project to include anchorages at Thondaimanaru, Valvettiturai

(3 locations) and at Polikandy.

*Also get a feasibility study done to get safe swimming areas in the sea at

Thondaimanaru and at Ravady, Valvettiturai and get necessary approvals to get these

projects implemented (like in Maldives).

*Obtain the feasibility studies already carried out by the Moratuwa University.

23. Purchase of Properties: Arrange to buy the Junction property – land between Raevady lane and junction lane to construct a high rise building of at least 7 stories to accommodate banks, Govt offices, Supermarkets and residential units and hotel rooms  .
24. Police property: Follow up our request to transfer the police property (former kalvimanram) to our council to enable us to construct a cultural hall. This is not a suitable location in the town for a police station. Therefore, they should look for a more suitable place for a police station.
25. Army Camp: Valvettiturai is a densely populated urban area with land in acute scarcity. There is no justification for continuing with the present army camp during the present peace time. Therefore, to request the Government that this camp should be relocated and merged with the camp at the entrance to Valvettiturai at Vallai junction where there is plenty of vacant land available. The present land should be given to the VVT UC to enable us to set up a sports stadium which is an urgent necessity to encourage the youth of this region to take up to sports & athletic activities in a proper way. We should request the Government to allot a physical training school proposed in this year budget in this location.
26. Public health:

* Ascertain the number of cleaning staff and make necessary arrangements to

increase the staff strength of this department to cope with the work load.

*Discus with PHI his programme of work.

*Look into programme of deployment of cleaning staff; study their present work schedule

and ensure that optimum performance is obtained by proper allocation of work to each of

them and schedule their work accordingly.

*Strengthen the staff compliment of Thillai’s section.

*Limit the number of workers on each tractor trip to 4: 1 driver, 1 on the rear of the tractor

and 2 on each side of the road following the tractor to load refuses. Where found necessary

an advance party of 2 workers could be deployed to sweep the road sides ahead of the

tractor.

*Look into the issue of removing the stray dogs & Vaccination of dogs; Carry out regular

sterilisation campaigns. Ensure that pet dogs are licensed and vaccinated.

*Carry out regular and effective anti-malaria, anti-dengue activities. Make arrangements to

send inspection teams to each and every house in our region and particularly the damaged

and abandoned houses and note down names of householders and advise & caution them

for any unsatisfactory conditions 1^st time. Send inspection teams after a couple of weeks

to those householders whose names were noted during the first visit. If found

unsatisfactory fine them or charge them in courts. Strengthen the section with adequate

staff to carry out inspections every 3 months.

*inspect unused houses regularly to ensure that there are no health hazards.

*introduce fish into wells. Draw up a detail anti-mosquito programme.

*Explore the feasibility of introducing small artificial plastic ponds with live fish in it at

selected locations to eradicate the mosquitoes.

*Regular fumigation of long distance buses and Lorries to ensure that they do not bring

Mosquitoes into our region from other areas.

*Ensure that sufficient numbers of dustbins are placed in suitable locations.

*ensure regular emptying of cesspits.

*Ascertain the number of industries and factories in our area. Check whether there are

sufficient pollution control measures in force?

*The crow population has to be kept under control. Study and implement control measures

27. Meet MOH and VVT hospital doctor in charge. Discuss needs of VVT hospital and any other preventive medical work to be done.
28. Look into hospital set up: Meet the Director of health, Jaffna and remind him of the history behind the construction of the operation theatre & request him to upgrade this hospital as a specialised maternity hospital so that the operation theatre and bed availability can be put to use.
29. New Tanks: Explore possibility of new tanks at Vervil and at Polikandy kudiyertam flooding area and any other suitable place. Speak to Irrigation Engineer and the Grama Servakas of the respective areas. Also ascertain the programme of work of the GS in each of their areas.
30. Theeruvil park work:

*Follow the master plan.

• clean both ponds;
• Retaining walls for both ponds – speak to Agrarian Dept and Irrigation dept;
• increase lighting;
• appoint 3 watchers cum gardeners; to keep the park clean.
• Build wash room.
• Build admin block near entrance.

*Prepare picnic facilities at a suitable location.

*Plant trees according to expert advice.

31. Junction building: ATM facilities; clean up ground floor;
32. Take possession of land adjoining church and plan a building on it;
33. 2^nd floor digital library. Develop as per plan already drawn
34.  

* Arrange lift facility for this building.

32. Junction beautification: Prepare new design for the bus stand and implement. Check ownership. Get a plan from Architects.
33. Standardise street lights:
34. Town planner / UDA:
35. Request him to arrange to undertake the 2^nd stage of the Theerththa Kadakkarai project.

  Also the final step of the 1^st project remains to be done. Therefore, to pack granite stones

as the final step to enable devotees to step into the sea.

*Also to request him to do a zoning of our council area.

*To plan shopping centres at Thondaimanaru, Commonthurai and at Polikandy on the sea

35. River side Road, Thondaimanaru : Prepare plans to construct a road alongside the

river starting from Periya kadakkarai & passing under the main road bridge and connecting

to the road going to Sannithy Temple.

*and pedestrian bridge over the river mouth connecting land on both sides:

• Construct a boat embarkation platform at a location on the river bank for tourists to enjoy

   boat rides in the river.

36. Sannity Temple improvements: Safe bathing area behind temple; widening approach road and doing up other necessary roads. Consult Suresh and arrange with Urban Development Authority for developing the whole Temple area as a developed sacred area providing more facilities to the devotees.
37. Upgrade the surrounding areas of Siththar’s Samathys near Sannithy Temple.
38. Bird Sanctuary and forest cover: Write to the Ministry in charge of wild life to undertake the upgrading of this location from Sannithy Temple up to the Valai bridge and to upgrade this location to National standards as a recognised bird’s sanctuary. A couple of bird watching camaflauched huts have to be constructed inside the river to enable bird lovers to study bird life at close range. Plant Rhizophora species  in the river and plant plenty of large forest trees alongside the river as a forest cover to assist the birds and to enhance the ecological balance.
39. To get the existing bund alongside the river to be upgraded as a motorable road to sannithy temple from the vallai road.
40. Avenue plants: Appoint specialised Gardner to plant trees all over the council area
41. Shopping areas in Polikandy; Thondamanaru and Commanthurai. To obtain the services of UDA.
42. Discuss with the relevant authorities to set up an agricultural and veterinary offices in the commonthurai region to serve the farming community there.
43. Discuss with the agriculture authorities to arrange extension officers to visit all houses in our region to advise people as to how to look after their plants to obtain optimum yields from their plants.
44. Valvettiturai Census: explore the possibility of carrying out a comprehensive study to plan future develop of the region.
45. Commercial Farms & Industries: Explore the possibility of the Council entering into joint ventures with the private sector to set up industries such as boat building, fishing net manufacturing, dairy & cattle feed and commercial farms such as dairy, poultry and negotiate with expert hotel management companies such as Hilton to build over 200 room hotel at Vallai alongside the lagoon on joint venture basis.
46. Deep sea fishing: In consultation with the fisheries authorities and the fishermen try to promote deep sea fishing and export to European countries through the Jaffna airport.