TIRUCHY: A special desilting programme commenced across the Delta region on Saturday, and the respective District Collectors visited the spot to take stock of the work, urging officials to ensure the process gets completed on time.
To facilitate Mettur water release to the tail-end regions, the special desilting programme at an estimated cost of Rs 125 crore was inaugurated by the Water Resource Minister Duraimurugan in Chennai through video conferencing, and the respective District Collectors inaugurated the process in their districts.
In Thanjavur, the District Collector B Priyanka Pankajam inaugurated the works at Manojipatti and Karuppankottai drain at Melaveli village to a distance of 1.50 km. The Karuppankottai drain would reach the Muthalaimuthu drain, which would irrigate around 250 acres through the GA canal irrigation system.
“The removal of vegetation and strengthening the retaining walls of the irrigation drains would be taken up initially, as per the requests by the farmers on priority basis. As many as 299 works would be undertaken in the district," the Collector Priyanka Pankajam said.
Meanwhile, in Tiruvarur, the District Collector V Mohanachandran inaugurated the desilting works between Vilamal canal and Vijayapuram canal near Thandalai in Tiruvarur. He said that as many as 185 works would be undertaken in the district.
In the meantime, the farmers urged the State to establish a monitoring committee comprising farmers to oversee the ongoing desilting works. Noting that the Rs 125 crore fund is inadequate to complete the entire process in the region, they said the State should increase the fund.