VILLUPURAM: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday announced a `1,000-crore project to convert seawater into drinking water in the district. Participating in the birth centenary celebrations of AIADMK founder and late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran at Kandamanadi near Janagipuram highway, he said the project would help address water scarcity in the region.
As per the plan, 100 million litres of fresh water would be produced from salt water taken from coastal areas of the district.
He also allocated an additional `198 crore to extend underground sewerage schemes to the newly expanded town limits of Kakuppam, Salamedu, Panampattu, Vazhudhareddy and Earumanthangal.
Hailing the late leader, Palaniswami said MGR was a “unique” leader, who still lived in people’s hearts. He expressed his gratitude to late CM J Jayalalithaa for giving him a chance to serve the people as Chief Minister.
Palaniswami said the State’s higher secondary pass-out rate has risen from 21 per cent to 44.3 per cent, after the decade-long effort of Jayalalithaa.
The Chief Minister also listed out the welfare measures that his government had announced for Villupuram district, including approval of 31,146 free houses worth `867 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and setting up of government arts and science college for women at a cost of `15 crore and a government law college at a cost of `50 crore.
Narrating a short moral story, Palaniswami also warned his partymen who had formed a separate faction and were making cunning political moves to gain power. At the same time, he also invited the rebel faction to reunite with the party founded by the people’s leader (Makkal Thilagam) MGR and to work for public welfare.
State ministers and MLAs, including Minister for Law, Courts and Prison C Ve Shanmugam, School Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan, Assembly Speaker Dhanapal, Ulundurpet MLA R Kumaraguru and Villupuram Collector Dr L Subramanian also participated in the function.
Welfare measures and prizes to the winners of competitions held as part of MGR birth centenary celebrations were given away during the function.