TIRUPPUR: After a long wait, the state government issued a GO on Thursday to dredge the canals under the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP). The Water Resources Department is planning to complete the tender process within seven working days and release water for irrigation by the end of October.
A senior official of the Water Resources Department told TNIE that the tender process was initiated immediately after the government order was issued on Thursday. "We are aware of the drought prevailing in the irrigation areas of PAP. Therefore, we immediately initiated the tender process once we obtained the GO. We are working to complete the tender processes by October 12 after which the work order will be issued. The task of dredging canals will be completed within 15 days. We plan to release the water by the end of October."
"The government has allocated Rs 14.9 crore to dredge the canals to 1801.27 km, which includes 229 works, under Palar and Aliyar basins," the official added.
Under the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project, about 50,848 acres of agricultural land are getting irrigation facilities in Aliyar Basin, Coimbatore.
Similarly, in Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts, 3,77,152 acres of agricultural land are getting irrigation facilities through Thirumoorthy Dam (Palar Basin). These are divided into four irrigation zones.
Usually, water should be released to the second zone by August 15, while the third zone receives water in January. Before this, the canals must be desilted in July.
However, despite the formation of the new government three months ago, funds had not been allocated for canal maintenance. Following a request made to the government by the PAP Project Committee, the government announced during the Assembly session that funds would be allocated for this work.
However, there was a delay in issuing the government order. In the meantime, the announcement of the by-poll created difficulties for the government in granting administrative sanction for the project. This resulted in strong opposition among farmers, including in the Dharapuram constituency.
To avoid impact, the state government submitted a letter to the Election Commission seeking a NOC for this purpose.
On September 26, the ECI gave NOC for the state government to issue administrative sanction for the canal desilting project.
Against this backdrop, on Thursday, the state issued a GO and allocated Rs 14.9 crore to dredge the canals.
P Velusamy, President of PAP Vellakoil Branch Canal Water Conservation Movement, has criticised this as a belated move of the department.
Medical K Paramasivam, Chairman of the Project Committee, said, "The government has announced an open tender system for this. This must be completed quickly, and the work must be completed to a high standard."