New Delhi, Feb. 17: The Tamil Nadu Government is likely to seek a loan of Rs. 2 crores from the Life Insurance Corporation for tapping the groundwater resources of the Palar river for relieving the acute water scarcity Madras is now suffering from.
It is understood that the State Government wanted to seek Central assistance for this purpose, but the Union Finance Ministry seems to have pointed out that the project was in the nature of a capital-intensive scheme and could not be accommodated within the scope of any drought relief assistance. A suggestion was, therefore, made that the State Government should seek funds from the LIC. The State Government is trying to speed up the scheme for the tapping of Palar groundwater resources by April this year by which time the water scarcity in Madras is bound to worsen.
The Palar groundwater project was to have been executed along with the Veeranam water supply scheme involving the laying of prestressed concrete pipes which are being manufactured by two factories at Panruti and Tirukalikundram, over a distance of about 135 miles. This scheme is already under execution but in view of the emergency arising out of the grave water shortage in Madras, the Tamil Nadu Government wants to complete first the tapping of groundwater from the Palar river and pump the water to the city over a distance of about 50 miles.
The Centre and the Planning Commission are as much concerned over the acute drought conditions and water scarcity in Tamil Nadu as the State Government. In fact it is for this reason that the Planning Commission has eventually agreed to fix Tamil Nadu’s 1975-76 Annual Plan outlay at Rs. 142 crores.
Published – February 18, 2025 03:17 am IST