Chennai: Though intra-state river linking is much talked about, TN has not seen any great development in terms of constructing dams or harvesting rainwater to sustain the agriculture, atleast for about half-a-century from now, Union minister of state for road transport, highways and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan lamented.
“No new dam has been constructed in Tamil Nadu since the rule of Kamaraj…The farmers should understand this situation,” he said in a veiled reference to the plea from various quarters demanding river linking.
For the farmers in Vellore district, close to Chennai, Thenpennai (Ponnaiyar) - Palar river linking project would mean bread and butter as it could infuse fresh lease of life into the Palar basin. But the project, initiated in 2008-2009, has not materialised.
Another project on which the state has been nursing the hopes is the linking of the Mahanadhi-Godavari-Krishna-Palar-Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link for which a feasibility report had been completed by National Water Development Agency. This is among the numerous issues the state government had frequently raised with the Centre.
Though river linking is a subject close to the chest of many political leaders in TN, it has not made much headway. Perhaps, TN could draw inspiration from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh’s mega river-linking project ‘Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme’ interlinks Godavari and Krishna rivers which earned the distinction of being the first and fastest such irrigation project in the country to be completed in a year.
“We need to take up river linking to sustain the agricultural operations but at the same time we should intensify the measures to harvest rainwater,” the minister who is currently camping in Nagercoil, advised.
