CHENNAI:Chief Minister K Palanisamy on Thursday announced that the ancient system of Kudimaramathu will be revived to retrieve and maintain water resources to ensure effective harvest of rainwater and tackling drought given the poor monsoon.
“The participatory scheme, Kudimaramathu, will be implemented in 30 districts at a cost of ` 100 crore to take up 1,510 works. The drive will be launched in the first week of March simultaneously on a single day across the State involving the local people as a mass movement,” he said.
The Chief Minister assured that the works to retrieve/renovate water bodies would be taken up at a cost of `300 crore in April/May for 2017-18.
Chairing a meeting of senior ministers and top bureaucrats, Palanisamy discussed the modalities and the measures to carry out Kudimaramathu and tackling shortage of potable water.
To utilise the expertise of retired government officials who had served in the field of water management and engineering, an experts’ committee will be constituted with those who volunteer to chip in with suggestions. The panel will come up with the plan, strategy, modalities and policies to enforce effective water management measures.
Ministers, including ‘Dindigul’ C Seenivasan (Forests), KA Sengottaiyan (School Education) and P Thangamani (Electricity) and officials, including Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, K Shanmugam, Commissioner for Revenue Administration, K Satyagopal and Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, K Phanindra Reddy were present.