Seven IAS officers to monitor Kudimaramathu works in Chennai

CHENNAI: To ensure speedy and better implementation of ‘Kudimaramathu scheme’, an ancient project to revive/restore water bodies with local community participation, Tamil Nadu government has nominated seven bureaucrats as monitoring officers to take stock of the situation and advise the district authorities.
The government issued a GO in this regard on Wednesday.

The monitoring officers have been appointed to ensure participation of farmers organisation/council/ayacutdars/users associations, to monitor and provide necessary advice/solution to district officials for sorting out the bottlenecks, pave the way for speedy and better implementation and ensure achievement of the objectives.

The GO said the monitoring officers should visit dam sites and reservoirs and ensure that the shutters are in good operating conditions as part of monsoon preparedness in the districts.

All the seven officers have been assigned to monitor works in 15 circles in the water resources department. Agriculture Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi is entrusted with Penniayar and Vellar basic circles covering Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore and parts of Villupuram.

Commissioner for Food Safety P Amudha has been directed to supervise the activities of Kudimaramathu in Project circle and Palar circle covering Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, parts of Tiruvannamalai and Vellore while Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Managing director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited, will look after the affairs in Periyar Vaigai Basin circle and Lower Vaigai Basin circle.

Commissioner for Disaster Management Rajendra Ratnoo will monitor Vaippar Basin and Tambaraparani Basin circles, Planning and Development secretary Ashish Vachani-Upper Cauvery Basin and Special Project circles, National Health Mission Director Darez Ahmed-Middle Cauvery Basin and Lower Cauvery Basic circles and Animal Husbandry Secretary K Gopal-Bhavani Basin and Parambikulam Aliyar Basin circles.

Chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, who issued the GO, directed the Engineer-in-Chief of Water Resources department and Chief Engineer (General) of PWD to instruct the concerned authorities in the 15 circles to furnish the list of works and work in close coordination with monitoring officers.

Under the Kudimaramathu scheme during the current year, 1,511 works will be executed at a cost of `328.95 crore. The project was revived in 2016-17 with an allocation of `10 crore.

Facing monsoon
The monitoring officers would visit dam sites and reservoirs and ensure that the shutters are in good operating conditions as part of monsoon preparedness in the districts