The Hindu : Front Page : Canal work paces ahead of water release

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Thursday, May 26, 2011
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Canal work paces ahead of water release

G. Srinivasan

From Mettur dam on June 6

— Photo: M. Srinath

SPEEDING UP: Work in progress at Grand Anicut canal near Irwin Bridge in Thanjavur on Monday.

THANJAVUR: The Public Works Department (PWD) has expedited works going on in various canals in the district ahead of the opening of the Mettur dam on June 6 for releasing water for ‘kuruvai' cultivation in the Cauvery delta districts.

One of the major works is the laying of cement slabs in the bed of Grand Anicut canal for a distance of one km near Irwin Bridge in Thanjavur. Work is going on in a war footing.

NABARD funds

Cement slabs will be laid in the bed at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund provided by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Besides this work, beautification of the canal for a distance of one km from Irwin Bridge to another bridge across GA Canal on Nagapattinam Road is also going on simultaneously.

The work has been undertaken at a cost of Rs. one crore from Rs. 25 crores allotted by the State government for the Millennium celebrations of the Big Temple in 2010.

Under the beautification scheme, pedestrian pathway will be laid on the northern bank of the canal for a distance of one km.

Lawns and other civic amenities will be created. Embankment walls have been constructed already.

PWD engineers said that the bed work would be completed well ahead of the release of water into the GA Canal.

The water released at Mettur would reach Grand Anicut only on June 10. From Grand Anicut, it would be released into the GA Canal. By that time works would have been completed and there would not be any problem in free flow of water.

This year major desilting works had not been taken up owing to the Assembly election, they said.

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