Athikadavu-Avinashi water scheme inaugurated by CM

Erode: Chief minister M K Stalin on Saturday launched the long-awaited Athikadavu-Avinashi groundwater recharge scheme. The project would help irrigate 24,468 acres of agricultural land spread across Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore districts.While launching the scheme through video conferencing from Chennai, Stalin said it would replenish 1,045 water bodies, including lakes and ponds, across the three districts. Under the scheme, 1.5 thousand million cubic feet of water from the Bhavani river would be pumped into the 1,045 identified water bodies over a period of 70 days per year. Six pumping stations have been set up for the purpose. Stalin reflected on the efforts of former chief minister Karunanidhi, who first proposed the project in 1972, and said the progress of the project was hindered by a change in govt in 1976. “Karunanidhi had made an effort to revive the project in 1996. However, it was once again set aside after the DMK govt was toppled. In 2016, when residents of Tirupur took out an indefinite hunger strike, seeking implementation of the project, I had met them and promised that the project would be realized when the DMK forms govt again in the state,” Stalin said. Although the previous AIADMK govt initiated the scheme in 2019, Stalin said it was he who reactivated the project by sanctioning an additional fund of 250 crore. “I am happy to launch this project that will enrich the lives of the farmers of Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore districts.”AIADMK general secretary and opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, meanwhile, took to X taking credit for the water project. EPS said he was the one who laid foundation stone for the project and initiated efforts to irrigate 24,500 acres across the three districts. “By the end of the AIADMK govt’s term in 2021, 90% of the project work was over. Only 10% of the work was remaining and it should have taken only six months. The DMK govt, however, halted the project as it was initiated under the AIADMK govt. It took three years to complete the remaining 10% of work, which incurred an additional expenditure of ₹250 crore. The residents and farmers of Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore wouldn’t have faced water woes for the past two and half years had the project been completed six months after the DMK formed govt in the state,” EPS said. EPS also called on the chief minister to inaugurate Asia’s largest cattle park at Thalaivasal in Salem district at the earliest. D Prabu, convenor, Athikadavu-Avinashi Federation, urged the state govt to initiate the second phase of the project at the earliest to ensure a sustainable future.
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