T.N. accords sanction for Phase 2 of Grand Anicut Canal renovation project
The Hindu
Tamil Nadu government approves ₹447 crore project to renovate Grand Anicut Canal system for improved irrigation efficiency.
The Tamil Nadu government has accorded administrative sanction for the second phase of ‘extension, renovation and modernisation’ of the Grand Anicut (GA) Canal system in the Cauvery delta at an estimated cost of ₹447 crore.
In a government order (G.O.) issued on March 15, 2024, prior to the release of the notification for the Lok Sabha election, Sandeep Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department (WRD), accorded sanction to execute the next phase of the project in six packages to complete renovation works on the remaining portion of about 57 km of the main canal.
The canal, built during the British era, serves as a source of irrigation for about 2.25 lakh acres in Budalur, Orathanadu, Pattukottai and Peravurani areas in Thanjavur district and parts of Pudukottai district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually laid the foundation stone for the project from Chennai in February 2021. Its first phase is being executed in five packages, covering a length of about 92 km of the GA canal, at a cost of about ₹1,037 crore.
According to the G.O., the works executed under the five packages were almost complete and it was essential that the remaining portion of the canal was renovated to ensure that water for irrigation reached the tail-end areas. The entire GA canal would be rejuvenated by implementing the second phase, it added.
Sources in the WRD indicated that two of the five packages were already completed and the remaining works were nearing completion. The tender for the second phase was also called before the election notification was issued, they added.
Once the renovation of the main canal was complete, a separate proposal for rehabilitation of the major branch canals and distributaries would be drawn up in consultation with Collectors of Thanjavur and Pudukottai and submitted to the government, the G.O. further said. Modernisation involves providing concrete bed lining, and renovation of regulators and other irrigation infrastructure, among others.
The Election Commission has seized a whopping ₹557.69 crore from March 16, when the model code of conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha election came into force, till the end of the final phase of polling on May 7 in the State. This is the highest-ever pre-poll seizure that has been done in Karnataka. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, ₹88.27 crore was seized, according to data from the Election Commission. This is apart from the seizure of goods worth ₹348.71 crore by the Commercial Taxes Department. These goods include iron ore and ghutka, the proceeds of which would have been used for inducements. Besides, from August last year to March 16, poll personnel seized cash and goods worth ₹537 crore in Karnataka. The seizures include ₹151 crore in cash, liquor worth ₹42 crore, drugs worth ₹126 crore, gold worth ₹71 crore, and other items valued at ₹144 crore.