Giving access to lift alluvial deposits from tanks in villages, the Collector, K. Veera Raghava Rao, said on Wednesday that farmers can make use of the soil and benefit out of it.
The drought had resulted in dwindling storage levels in many reservoirs. Tanks have gone dry and farmers looked up to the government for assistance. Utilising the bone dry scene, the Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, launched the old practice of “kudimaramathu” thus giving a new hope to the farmers.
Under the scheme, Madurai district has identified as many as 70 tanks to be desilted in the first phase by spending ₹. 5.29 crore. After repeated pleas to allow them to lift the alluvial soil from the tanks, the government finally gave its nod.
Applicant farmers from many villages were told to submit applications to the PWD engineers and after scrutiny, the farmers were given permission to lift the soil depending on their requirements.
While ₹. 35.20 would be collected from each applicant towards rent for engaging trucks to load the soil, farmers can also deploy their own tractors/dipper lorries to lift the soil.
Mr. Rao appealed to the farmers to cooperate in the operation by adhering to the guidelines framed by the officials. Without disturbing the forest land or the karuvelam trees among other plants, the farmers shall lift the soil, he said. They were also told not to deepen the tanks in the guise of lifting the soil.
As many as 13 beneficiaries from Melur and Madurai East were given no objection letters to lift soil from Kurichikulam and Ayilangudi tanks respectively in the presence of Joint Director (Agriculture) Sridhar, Melur RDO Benedict Dharmaroy, AD Mines Chitrarasu, Tahsildars Tamilselvi and Karuppiah.
