Tamil Nadu

World Bank-funded project for Pudukottai, Thanjavur

For implementation: Vibhu Nair, Project Director, IAMWARM, discussing with officials in Pudukottai.

PUDUKOTTAI: The World Bank-funded Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water Resources Management (IAMWARM) Project will be implemented in the Agniyar and Ambuliyar sub-basins in Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts at a total expenditure of Rs.76.23 crore during the current financial year.

While Rs.51.48 crore will be spent for the Agniyar sub-basin, the balance of Rs.24.75 crore has been allotted for the Ambuliyar sub-basin, the Project Director, IAMWARM, Chennai, Vibhu Nair, said here recently.

Addressing a consultative meeting with officials of various departments, Mr. Vibhu Nair said that about 12,016 hectares in Agniyar sub-basin, including 8,476 hectares in Pudukottai and the balance 3,540 hectares in Thanjavur district would get irrigational facility.

For the Ambuliyar sub-basin it would be 5,911 hectares including about 3,485 hectares in Pudukottai and about 2,426 hectares in Thanjavur. The objective of the scheme was to provide higher returns to the agricultural produce through co-ordinated efforts by various departments including the Agriculture, Public Works, Water Resources Department, Agricultural Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Horticulture, Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business. Works such as reconstruction of sluices, weirs, setting up of check-dams would be taken up by the Water Resources Department, while the Agri Business would ensure an assured marketing facility through tie-up with industries. He said that special programmes on crop diversification strategy, introduction of drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation techniques would also form part of the programme.

Mr. Vibhu Nair appealed to the officials to motivate the farmers to take to bamboo cultivation with a tie-up with paper mills for marketing the produce.

He advised the officials to execute a good part of the programme before the onset of the North-East monsoon to deliver the desired benefits to the farming community. Collector D. Uthirakkumaran said that farmers were being motivated to go in for drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation techniques. With 50 per cent of equipment being released as subsidy, efforts were taken to explore the possibility of sanctioning loans to them to meet the balance expenditure.

The Executive Engineers, R. K. Ganesh Babu, G. Natarajan, the Joint Director of Agriculture, Viswanathan were among those who were present.

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