Stalin announces Rs 1,242 crore worth of infrastructural projects

Inaugurating several completed projects, distributing welfare assistance to beneficiaries and laying foundation stone for new initiatives, all worth over Rs 261 crore, Stalin said he would visit the district again and again and continue to monitor all the initiatives. Two State-wide schemes, 'Nammakku Naame Thittam (NNT),' and 'Nagarpura Velai Vaippu Thittam (NVVT),'' were rolled out here by him. The announcement on initiatives at an estimated cost of over Rs 1,000 crore includes underground sewerage system in Salem Corporation areas that do not have the facility at a cost of Rs 530 crore and spread over about 520 kilometers.

At a cost of Rs 158 crore, a programme would be taken up for ensuring uninterrupted supply of drinking water here, including work for additional drinking water supply, Stalin said in his address at a State event held at Seelanayakkanpatti here.

Development of lakes, a rail-over-bridge at Ammapettai here, a sports stadium, upgradation of roads were among the other announcements. ''An integrated textile park will soon come up in Salem for industrial growth and for creating more job opportunities. A software park will also be set up at Karupur. This is the first phase, a beginning and many more schemes are set to come up in a phased manner.'' Further, the Chief Minister, in an indirect reference to the previous AIADMK regime, said,''There was a government, I do not like to talk politics and there is no necessity for it.'' Stalin reiterated that his government worked for the welfare of all sections of the people across the State irrespective of whether they voted 'for us' (the DMK) or not. 

Also, there is absolutely no discrimination, be it on the basis of a district or a particular industry. The aim is uniform growth across the State and several schemes were being implemented in all the districts, he said and listed projects implemented here by the previous regimes led by his party, including the Salem Steel Plant. Salem is the home district of former Chief Minister K Palaniswami and the western region of Tamil Nadu is seen as the stronghold of the main opposition party, the AIADMK. Additional school, hospital buildings, small bridges and check dams were among the completed projects that were inaugurated. Housing scheme for medical officers (Edapadi Taluk), office-cum-residential complex for revenue department (Peddanaikanpalayam), over a lakh saplings-planting initiative under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme were among the projects for which a foundation stone was laid. Welfare assistance for beneficiaries include allotment of 37 tenements under the urban livelihood mission, Rs 3.34 lakh worth of assistance to 62 people by the backward classes and minorities welfare department, and an order for a Rs 2.88-crore grant for entrepreneurial initiatives by educated youth.

The NNT is a scheme revived by the government, first introduced during the 1996-2001 DMK regime, and is now implemented at a cost of Rs 300 crore across the State. This initiative is aimed at implementation of a slew of projects, including those for building and upgrading civic infrastructure and rejuvenation of water bodies, all with community participation.

The NVVT is aimed at creating job opportunities for the urban poor and implemented across the State at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore.