CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday inaugurated various completed projects including four permanent direct paddy procurement centres and two warehouses through video conference. He also laid the foundation stone for various upcoming initiatives, including the construction of 40 paddy storage facilities across six districts.
The two warehouses, each having a capacity of 2000 metric tonnes, built at a cost of Rs 4.02 crore and Rs 2.65 crore are in Kalayarkoil taluk (Sivaganga) and Chinna Salem taluk (Kallakurichi), respectively.
The four permanent paddy direct procurement centres, each having a capacity of 250 metric tonnes built at a cost of Rs 2.50 crore, are in Thennadu (Chengalpattu district), Marutham (Kanchipuram district), Sitharevu (Dindigul district), and Unjiyaviduthi (Thanjavur district).
Stalin also laid the foundation stone for the construction of 40 modern paddy storage godowns, worth Rs 95 crore, across six districts. Six taluk-level warehouses across the state are also planned with a budget of Rs 27.50 crore.
Stalin also gave away Ilakkiya Mamani awards for nine eminent Tamil scholars, Aranga Ramalingam of Kallakurichi district, GM Kothandam of Virudhunagar, Suryakandhan alias M Marudhachalam of Coimbatore, Mani Arjunan of Nilgiris, A Thiruvidam of Tiruvarur, K Poornachandran of Chennai, G Manickavasan of Cuddalore, S ShanmugaSundaram of Tirunelveli, Ilakiya Natarajan of Sivaganga.
He also inaugurated irrigation and flood-mitigation projects worth Rs 111.35 crore in Sivaganga and Thoothukudi districts. A regulator on the Kollidam river in Tiruchy, costing Rs 414 crore, was also unveiled.
The CM also laid the foundation stone for 480 permanent restructuring works in irrigation structures across Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar. These initiatives aim to benefit 2,45,490 acres of agricultural land in these districts.
Stalin also initiated 23 flood-mitigation projects in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur districts, which were affected by the recent Michaung cyclone.
A canal construction in Tambaram, Chengalpattu, is underway at Rs 446.50 crore. He also started 1,004 special desilting works in lakes, canals and rivers, spanning 5814.295 kilometres in 24 districts.