The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Water released from Grand Anicut for kuruvai cultivation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 17, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Water released from Grand Anicut for kuruvai cultivation

G. Srinivasan

1,10,000 hectares in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam under cultivation 1,10,000 hectares in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam under cultivation

Thanjavur: Water was released from the Grand Anicut here for kuruvai cultivation in the Cauvery delta districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam. It gushed out of the sluices of the Cauvery, Vennar and Grand Anicut canal regulators after the shutters were lifted at 9 a.m.

State Ministers K.N. Nehru, U. Mathivanan and Union Minister of State for Finance S.S. Palani Manickam, District Collectors of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, C. Vijayarajkumar, P. Ekambaram and Tenkasi S. Jawahar participated.

Kuruvai seeds were sprinkled into the river to mark the beginning of the occasion. It has been planned to take up cultivation on 1,10,000 hectares in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts this year.

Thanjavur Collector C. Viyayaraj Kumar said kuruvai would be raised on 40,000 hectares in the district. He said Rs. 50 crore allotted by the Government for disbursal of crop loans to Kumbakonam and Thanjavur central cooperative banks had started.

Tiruvarur Collector P. Ekambaramsaid the plan was to raise crops on 35,000 hectares in the district. He advised farmers to avoid cultivating the TKM9 variety as it was not purchased in fair price shops. Nagapattinam Collector Tenkasi S. Jawaharsaid kuruvai would be raised on 34,000 hectares in the district.

He appealed to farmers in the upper reaches to use water judiciously.

Mettur water

PWD Chief Engineer Pandiya Rajan said water released from the Mettur dam on June 12 reached the Anicut at 6 a.m. on Friday. Cauvery and Vennar each got around 4,000 cusecs and 1,500 cusecs was released into the Grand Anicut Canal and 500 cusecs into Kollidam.

It would be increased to 5,000 cusecs in Cauvery and Vennar.

Other officials who took part include G. Pandiya Rajan, Chief Engineer, Water Resource Division, Trichy region, PWD; K. Nallusamy, Superintending Engineer, Lower Cauvery basin, Thanjavur circle; M. Jothi, Joint director of agriculture, Thanjavur and S. Ranganathan, Secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.

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