The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Two reservoirs to be opened early next year

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Thursday, Dec 06, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Two reservoirs to be opened early next year

Special Correspondent

Durai Murugan inspects Miruganda Nadhi reservoir site

Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan

Keeping a check: Public Works Department Minister Durai Murugan inspecting the Miruganda Nadhi reservoir in Tiruvannamalai district on Wednesday. —

TIRUVANNAMALAI: Reservoirs at Shenbagathoppu and Miruganda Nadhi in Tiruvannamalai district will be inaugurated either in the last week of January or the first week of February, according to Public Works Department Minister Durai Murugan. Plans are afoot to get Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin to inaugurate the reservoirs at the same function, he said.

Talking to reporters at the site of the Miruganda Nadhi reservoir after inspecting it on Wednesday, Mr. Durai Murugan said that the Shenbagathoppu reservoir, for which tenders were floated during the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime in 1989-90, was one of the most delayed reservoir projects in Tamil Nadu. While the DMK regime (in 1996-2001) had given an administrative sanction for the project for Rs.21 crore, the successive All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government had prepared the design . The latter increased the cost to Rs.34 crore by preparing a design with seven shutters which were not necessary. The project did not constitute a canal irrigation system but only a reservoir meant to impound the excess rainwater and release it to pick-up dams and from there to tanks and ayacuts for irrigation during drought.

“This reservoir is only a scheme to manage drought. Therefore so many shutters are not necessary. In fact there is no flow of water in the last shutter,” Mr. Durai Murugan said.

Six engineers involved in the project were suspended after the DMK came to power in 2006 for the unnecessary design features. Though the previous government made the provision for seven shutters, these were not readied by it. It was only after the DMK came to power that the government completed the work.

The Minister said that for any reservoir project to be implemented in a perfect manner and to be completed in time, the Minister concerned and the PWD Secretary should pay periodical visits to the site, inspect the work and suggest appropriate modifications, which was not done during the AIADMK regime. While most of the works connected to the reservoir have been completed, some small works are yet to be complete.

As regards the Miruganda Nadhi reservoir, the project was conceived in 1999-2000 at an estimate of Rs.16.79 crore which now stood at Rs.19 crore. “The entire work on the reservoir portion has been completed and some minor works are pending. I have asked the authorities to expedite them,” Mr. Durai Murugan said.

Sahabudeen, Superintending Engineer, Projects Circle, PWD, Vellore, and G. Thamarai, District Revenue Officer and Collector-in-charge, Tiruvannamalai, accompanied the Minister.

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