Chennai, July 17:
Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday urged the Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government to revive the ‘Nadanthai Vaazhi Cauvery’ project, stressing its importance in restoring the Cauvery River and its tributaries. He called on the current administration not to repeat what he described as inaction by the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government regarding the initiative.
In a statement, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary said the project was launched in 2019 during his tenure as Chief Minister with the aim of rejuvenating the Cauvery river system, improving water quality, curbing pollution, and ensuring long-term water security for agriculture and drinking needs. He noted that a preliminary project report, estimated at ₹11,250 crore, had been prepared and submitted to the Prime Minister, and was later acknowledged at the national level.
Palaniswami added that a detailed project report for the first phase received technical approval from the Environmental Protection Training and Research Institute. He further claimed that even after the change in government in 2021, the project continued to receive support from the Union government, which approved around ₹935 crore in 2024 for the first phase under a 60:40 funding pattern between the Centre and the State.
Alleging delays, he said the previous DMK government neither allocated the State’s share nor utilised the Centre’s funds, which stalled progress. According to him, nearly 30 per cent of the first-phase work could have been completed if implementation had begun promptly after approval. He insisted that there was no need to introduce a new scheme and urged Chief Minister Vijay to prioritise the existing project in the interest of farmers and to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s drinking water resources.