TIRUCHY: The Tamil Nadu Government has directed setting up two lakh more rainwater harvesting (RWH) structure across state in addition to existing 8,60,000 units, said S.P. Velumani, State minister for Municipal Administration & Rural development.
He disclosed this while participating in the regional-level review meeting on RWH and other developmental works with the concerned department officials of Tiruchy, Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Pudukkotai and Tiruvarur districts on Monday.
Velumani said Tamil Nadu was the forerunner in the country in RWH structures. His cabinet colleagues Dr C. Vijayabaskar, Duraikannu, R. Kamaraj, Vellamandi Natarajan, Ms. Valarmathi, M.R. Vijayabaskar, Tiruchy collector S. Sivarasu, and municipal corporation commissioner N. Ravichandran, were present at function here.
He said the Government has sanctioned Rs 14,000 crore for the last three years for various developmental works under his ministry. Besides this, the Government has also sanctioned a sum of Rs 1,250 crore including Rs 500 crore for undertaking ‘Kudimaramathu Panigal’, he added.
Later at a press conference, Mr. Velumani, released a government order (GO) for establishing a mini fishing port at an estimated cost of Rs 34.30 crore, including the local fishermen’s contribution of about Rs 16 crore, at Nambiyar Nagar in Nagapattinam district as part of the recent Gaja cyclone rehabilitation works. He said the proposed fishing port will benefit about 5,000 fishermen in and around Nambiyar Nagar and it would house 252 country boats and 66 mechanized boats.
State Food minister R. Kamaraj said the water released from Grand Anicut has reached almost all the tail-end areas of Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.
State Health minister Dr C. Vijayabaskar said about 1.63 lakh field workers from the RDLA and health department are engaged in taking preventive measures against infectious deceases like dengue fever.
Earlier Mr.Velumani and his cabinet colleagues visited various developmental schemes in Tiruchy city and Pudukkottai dts.
