The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : No more approval for installation of artificial recharge structures

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Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

No more approval for installation of artificial recharge structures

Special Correspondent

Unless 50 per cent of cases sanctioned earlier set up
the facility

CHENNAI: The State government has decided that no more approval of applications for installation of artificial recharge structures be given unless 50 per cent of the cases sanctioned earlier set up the facility, S. Audiseshiah, Principal Secretary (Public Works), said on Monday.

So far the high-power committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, has given approval for 2.3 lakh wells, in three stages, for coverage under the Central government-funded project for artificial recharge of the groundwater through dug-wells. The subsidy is around Rs. 86 crore. The committee includes representatives of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and the State Ground and Surface Water Resources Data Centre.

A subsidy of Rs. 4,000 a well is given to small and marginal farmers, while other farmers will get Rs. 2,000. (A senior official of the Data Centre clarified that the government’s decision was applicable to 1.58 lakh wells, which were sanctioned in the first two stages. The committee has also set December 3 as the deadline for construction of artificial structures in respect of 50 per cent of the sanctioned cases).

At an interactive session held as part of the training programme for the project, Mr. Audiseshiah, responding to a query whether 100 per cent subsidy would be given to big farmers, said revision of the norms would be “extremely difficult.” Referring to the questions raised by engineers of the Data Centre on banks not releasing funds for the beneficiaries, Ananda Mukherjee, Deputy General Manager of the NABARD, said the problem lay in the preparation of the list of beneficiaries.

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