AIADMK never completed any irrigation scheme: Duraimurugan

CHENNAI: State Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan on Saturday said that the previous AIADMK regime had merely started a few schemes and never completed any irrigation scheme in their tenure.

Hitting out at Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami for questioning the implementation of irrigation schemes in the incumbent regime, Duraimurugan sarcastically said, “I am surprised that you (Palaniswami) still remember Cauvery - Gundar interlinking, Nadanthai Vaazhi Cauvery, Sarabanga scheme and Athikadavu - Avinashi schemes.”

Wondering if the LoP remembers that he did not avail a rupee of the Rs 11,400 crore sought from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Nadanthai Vaazhi Cauvery scheme, the Minister, in a statement issued in this regard, said, “You had spent Rs 565 crore for Sarabanga scheme, but did you fill at least 10 lakes? Did you lay pipelines for an inch to fill the lakes? You did not even complete the pumping station construction. You even forgot the crucial land acquisition work for the project. Now, we are executing the projects forgotten by you.”

Conceding that the Avinashi - Athikadavu project was delayed owing to Covid, Duraimurugan said that about 95% of the works were over and the project would be completed before December 2022.

Describing Cauvery - Gundaru interlinking as a part of the Mahanadi - Godavari - Krishna - Ponnaiyaru - Palar - Cauvery - Vaigai - Gundaru interlinking, he said that the only good contribution made by EPS regime for the scheme for starting the project to take surplus water from Mayanur barrage across Cauvery to Gundaru.

Stating that the 262.19 km project is to be implemented in three stages, Duraimurugan said that of the 118.45km project to be implemented at a cost of Rs 6,941 crore in three packages in the first phase, the AIADMK regime had only allocated Rs 330 crore for 10kms and started the project.