SALEM: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday inaugurated the mega Rs 565 crore Sarabanga lift irrigation project at Thippampatti. The project, launched following requests from farmers, was completed within two years. Floodwater from Mettur dam will be pumped from Thippampatti to the lake in M Kalipatti from where it will be pumped to 42 lakes through Vellalapuram and Kannantheri.
Through another pipeline from Thippampatti, 31 lakes would be filled via Nangavalli. Totally, 4,238 acres in 40 villages in eight panchayat unions will benefit from the scheme apart from 38 villages which will be provided with drinking water, he said.
A total of 0.5 TMC would be required for the project. About 214 cusecs would be pumped for 30 days to make the quantity available. Further, he hailed former Chief Secretary K Shanmugam for his role in the project. Stating that his government gave importance to agriculture, Palaniswami recalled the schemes announced for the sector.
“We solved the Cauvery water dispute, declared Cauvery delta as Protected Special Agricultural Zone, and waived crop loans to the tune of Rs 12,110 crore to benefit 16.43 lakh farmers. My government is the only one which waived crop loans twice (2017 and 2021) in a five-year term,” he said. A total of Rs 2,247 crore was distributed to farmers as drought relief, the highest by any government. Crop insurance claims to the tune of Rs 9,257 crore were settled over the last four years, Palaniswami pointed out.
“Through Kudimaramathu, waterbodies all over the State were desilted which helped harness rains better. Paddy cultivation increased and 32.41 lakh MT was procured year as against the usual procurement of 27 lakh MT. Tamil Nadu received the award for best water management practices for the year 2019-20.
The first phase of Rs 14,400 crore Cauvery-Gundar linking project was launched recently,” the Chief Minister said. Meanwhile, in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Thanjavur, a few farmers expressed disappointment with the project. They alleged that the project would deprive farmers in the tail-end of the Delta of their water requirement. Farmers of Thamizhaga Kaviri Vivasaayigal Sangam and Tamizhaga Cauvery Farmers Association staged a protest
24-hour power from April 1
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday announced that farmers would be provided 24-hours three-phase free electricity from April 1, a promise he made earlier this month. He also laid the foundation stone for 23 projects worth Rs 5.36 crore and inaugurated 36 completed projects worth Rs 62.63 crore.