Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has criticised Opposition Leader M. K. Stalin for spreading “false” information that no work under the Kudimaramathu scheme is being carried out in Salem district. He also said that the DMK did not take any official permission for desilting Kacharayan lake in his (Edappadi) constituency.
Addressing the gathering at the birth centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran in Tiruvannamalai district on Saturday, Mr. Palaniswami questioned how the DMK could take up desilting work on a government property without permission.
“Amma’s government is functioning as per the laws. But there are separate laws for him (Stalin) and they (DMK) want to do as they like. This will never happen,” he said.
The CM pointed out that there were more than 40,000 water bodies being maintained by the Public Works Department and panchayat unions in the State. “We cannot take up desilting work in all these water bodies simultaneously. Hence, we launched the Kudimaramathu scheme with participation from local farmers,” he stated.
Listing out the various works being taken up under the Kudimaramathu scheme in Salem district, he said in his constituency, there were eight PWD tanks and 31 water bodies under local bodies. Of the 39 water bodies, desilting work is under way at 36 water bodies and more than two lakh cubic metres of silt has been taken away by more than 2,000 farmers. “There are 133 PWD tanks and 846 water bodies under the local bodies in Salem district. Of them, desilting is under way at 415 water bodies,” he added. Permission has been granted for 37,616 farmers to take silt.