The work on the 100-million-litre-a-day (MLD) seawater desalination plant at Minjur, on the northern outskirts of Chennai, is progressing expeditiously, Local Administration Minister M. K. Stalin informed the Assembly on Tuesday. Initiating the debate on the demand for grants to his department, he said the work would be completed this year. ILF-Mantech, an independent consultant, was appointed to monitor the work. As per its bulk water purchase agreement with Chennai Metrowater, Chennai Water Desalination Limited should deliver 15 MLD next month and 100 MLD in August. As for the other 100-MLD plant proposed at Nemmeli on East Coast Road, Mr. Stalin said the work would be taken up this year. The Union Government had made an initial allocation of Rs. 300 crore. IT corridor On providing water supply and sewerage to consumers along the information technology corridor, he said that since the road improvement and provision of service ducts were simultaneously carried out, Metrowater would continue the work in coordination with the agencies concerned and complete it this year. It also proposed to establish an additional sewage treatment plant of 60-MLD capacity at Perungudi at an estimated cost of Rs. 55 crore. Approval had been sought under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The work would be taken up this year. The improvement of sewerage in the Guindy industrial estate and provision of sewerage to Thendral Nagar would be completed this year. As for the creation of sewerage in Chennai's adjacent urban areas, Mr. Stalin said the execution of the second phase of the Ambattur sewerage scheme would be completed this year. At present, 40 per cent of the work was over. Another scheme for those areas that had been left out of the previous project had been approved under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The cost was estimated at Rs. 130.91 crore. The work would begin this year. And for the Tiruvottiyur underground sewerage scheme, bids floated for two out of five packages did not evince any response. They had been floated afresh. The work on the other three packages was in progress. On the Pallavapuram underground sewerage scheme, he said the construction of the main sewage pumping station and laying of pumping main would be taken up this year. To find a solution to water stagnation in the city, a consultant was being appointed to conduct an extensive survey of the stormwater drain network and propose a comprehensive drainage system. Birth and death certificates would be made available online. To facilitate planning permission for buildings, the "Green Channel' facility would be introduced. Under it, permission would be granted immediately applications were submitted.