Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced construction of 10,000 check dams in the current fiscal year.
Making a suo motu announcement in the assembly, the chief minister said the construction of structures would be taken up at Rs 312 crore.
“With the help of workers enrolled in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), the check dams will be built across channels and streams in the rural areas to store water for better irrigation and increase the groundwater table,” Palaniswami said.
The chief minister also made a slew of announcements in the rural development department. They include improvements to road network in rural areas at Rs 1,200 crore.
He recalled the scheme initiated by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2015-16 with the allocation of Rs 800 crore under the Tamil Nadu Rural Road Improvements Scheme. The allotment was increased to 1,200 crore in the last fiscal. “The funding for the current fiscal will help restore 5,000kmof roads,” Palaniswami said.
The state government will take up restoration of roads and bridges at an estimated cost of Rs 200.53 crore in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Kodaikanal block in Dindigul districts that were damaged by cyclone Gaja. The bitumen roads will be strengthened in village panchayats and panchayat unions at Rs 255.21 crore.
As part of liquid waste management initiative, the state government will construct 2.005 lakh community soak pits near deep wells, overhead tanks and sewage pipelines at Rs 183.38 crore in the current fiscal.
CM said, Soak pits for individual households are built to prevent stagnation of water flowing from kitchen and bathroom onto the streets and roads. It would help recharge the groundwater and prevent communicable diseases.
TN Govt declares construction of 10,000 check dams in rural areas at current fiscal year
