Desilting work at Mettur Dam to begin next week: CM Edappadi Palanisamy

Addressing reporters at the Coimbatore airport on Thursday afternoon before leaving by road to inaugurate the 3-day Udhagamandalam flower show, the CM said that desiliting work in other dams would also be taken up shortly. Talking about his video conference meeting with district collectors at the secretariat, he said issues related to drought were discussed at length. 

Palanisamy said that the meeting with the district collectors of Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchy and Villupuram also focused on the drinking water position. 

“I have also instructed the collectors and officials to identify farmers who have not received the drought relief given by the government and take necessary steps in this regard,” he informed. 

Palanisamy said, “Farmers would get Rs 6,000 - Rs 7,000 crore as crop insurance. The government is keen on helping them.” 

Informing that desilting works were on in 1,519 lakes and tanks at a cost of Rs 100 crore, he said that Rs 300 crore has been sanctioned for the drive in another 2,200 lakes. 

The Chief Minister who evaded politically sensitive questions said that talks are under way between the two factions of AIADMK for unification. When asked about the heated exchange of views between former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and the sitting ministers, and the most recent critical views of Panneerselvam on the sitting minister at a public meeting, recently, the Chief Minister said he was unaware of it. “It would not be appropriate to make comments without knowing anything about it,” he said.

Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy will be inaugurating the 121st annual flower show at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam. This will be the first time in more than a decade or two that a Chief Minister is inaugurating the show. Kodanad Estate near Kotagiri in The Nilgiris was often visited by the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. There have been times when she has stayed there for weeks to months and took care of the administration from there. 

But as far as locals can recall she has never been there for the inaugural of the flower show for years. It is said that as far as they can recall she was there for attended the annual event only in 1995, when she inaugurated the Centenary Rose Garden (formerly Jayalalithaa Rose Garden).