The Hindu : Front Page : Plan to build retaining walls along the Cauvery

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Friday, Nov 11, 2005

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Plan to build retaining walls along the Cauvery

Special Correspondent

District administration seeks Rs.40 crores as flood relief

TIRUCHI: A proposal for construction of retaining walls on either side of the Cauvery river along Tiruchi and Srirangam, at an estimated cost of Rs.64 crores, has been forwarded to the Government.

The move comes in the wake of recent floods and the threat of a breach in the river bund at Melur owing to surplus discharges from Mettur reservoir. The proposal envisages construction of concrete retaining walls for a stretch of about five km along the left bank of the river along Srirangam and for a stretch of two km on the right bank along Tiruchi, Collector K. Nanda Kishore said here on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kishore said proposals had been forwarded for mechanisation of now manually operated Coleroon river shutters at Upper Anaicut and Grand Anaicut, at an estimated cost of Rs.1 crore.

The district administration has sought about Rs.40 crores from the Government for setting right the damage caused by the floods. Paddy crops in about 3,460 hectares, banana plantations in about 59.32 hectares and sugarcane in about 12 hectares were fully damaged.

The production loss of paddy alone accounted for Rs.10.38 crores. A fresh assessment is under way to take into account the damage caused by the rains over the past few days. In all, 496 km of Highways Department roads, 24.5 km in Corporation limits, 549 km in panchayats and 45.5 km in special panchayats have been damaged.

The State Government has already sanctioned an initial allotment of Rs.3 crores for calamity relief in the district. Of this, Rs.50 lakhs has been allotted to the Corporation, Rs.50 lakhs for repairing roads in the district, Rs.60 lakhs for the Public Works Department and Rs.75 lakhs for panchayats. About 1,207 houses were damaged in the floods. Two hundred and seventeen families, whose houses were fully damaged, had been provided a cash relief of Rs.2,000 each, while others were given Rs.1,000 each. Details of damage caused to houses in the rains were being collected, he said.

Encroachments

To a specific query, Mr. Kishore said encroachments on water bodies within the city and the district would be removed soon. He conceded that there was a need for combined action from various government agencies to tackle the problem.

He said the road over-bridge being constructed at Valadi on Lalgudi road would be completed by February. Goods and heavy vehicles had been diverted in view of the slushy condition at the construction site. However, passenger vehicles were being allowed. The condition of the road would be set right within the next few days, he said.

City Engineer V. Sivaraman said the Corporation had allotted Rs.21 lakhs for carrying out patch works on damaged roads.

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