Report of Kerala-TN panel on water issues in 2 months: Edappadi K Palaniswami

SALEM: Chief Minister Mr. Edappadi K Palaniswami said here on Saturday that the ten-member secretaries-level committee of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu to go into the gamut of water sharing issues between the two neighbouring states will give its report in two months. The committee will look into review of Parambikulam Aliyar project (PAP), and other water-sharing issues.

“Once the report is received, all the pending river-water sharing based projects will be taken up for execution,” Mr. Palaniswami said speaking at a special grievances meet at Veerapandi in Salem, where he interacted with people from various parts of the district and received grievance petitions from them.

Stating that the AIADMK government was according top priority to water management schemes in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Palaniswami said it was for the first time in 15 years that the Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu had met recently with a view to resolve all outstanding inter-state water issues in a spirit of cordiality and dialogue. This includes PAP and Pandiyaru-Punnampuzha scheme, he said, adding, the joint committee of both states has been constituted with a view to resolve all water-sharing and related issues.

Rejecting DMK's criticisms on this issue as unfounded, Mr. Palaniswami said both Mr M K Stalin and Mr. Durai Murugan, “unable to stomach” the constructive initiatives being taken by the AIADMK, were faulting the latter as a non-performing government. But “every new scheme we are taking up refutes the DMK's charges,” he said, and listed four check dam projects being constructed across Cauvery to save surplus waters, besides clean-up of water bodies across the state to conserve rain water.

The other grievances of the people were also being expeditiously attended to through such special camps, Mr. Palaniswami pointed out. Later, unveiling several completed development projects and kick-starting new ones, Mr. Palaniswami announced that feasibility study has been taken up for a 'combined drinking water supply scheme' in Veerapandi constituency, to cover 799 rural habitations under Ilampillai and Panamarathupatti town panchayats and panchayat unions, and involving a massive outlay of Rs.824 crore. It was through such schemes government was tackling critical issues like drinking water supply, he added.