MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the engineer-in-chief of the water resources department in Chennai to appear before the court, either in person or via video conference, to inform about the status of the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar Link Canal Project.
A division bench of Justices R Suresh Kumar and G Arul Murugan was hearing a petition filed by one Murugesan, seeking the intra-linking of the Cauvery, Agniyaru and South Vellar by building appropriate canals from Mayanur barrage, built across the Cauvery at Mayanur village in Karur.
The court said the government pleader has filed that the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar Link Canal Project is to be undertaken in three phases: Phase-I from Cauvery to South Vellar (zero km to 118.45 km), Phase-II from South Vellar to Vaigai (118.45-228.145 km) and Phase-III from Vaigai to Gundar (228.145-262.19 km). The project is set to be implemented in Karur, Tiruchy, and Pudukottai.
“As far as Phase-I is concerned, some preliminary or initial works seem to have taken place. It will take a long time to complete the project, at least Phase-I covering 118.45 km,” the court said.
The court further said it wants information from the department concerned on the allocation of funds, the work completed to date, the project status and works to be undertaken, including land acquisition and building a canal for the link project.