A colony at Vazhoramala for people who belong to the Scheduled Castes, spread over the eighth and ninth wards in Kottur grama panchayat, is all set to become a self-sufficient village in the district.
The idea of a self-sufficient village was mooted during the inauguration of ‘Vijnanavadi’ by Minister for Tourism and Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes A.P. Anil Kumar at Vazhoramala recently. Subsequently, Rs.1 crore was released for the purpose.
As many as 145 families who reside in the 15-acre colony are the beneficiaries of the project. It has been aimed at the overall development of agriculture and social, cultural, and sports sectors.
Official sources said that the first phase of the project involved preparing a draft plan after soliciting details from the residents of their problems and suggestions. A seminar would be held in the second phase and elected representatives, sector-wise officials, voluntary agencies, and beneficiaries would participate.
Working groups under the leadership of department officials would be constituted for preparing development schemes for every sector. These would be submitted to the State government.
The project would have long- and short-term solutions such as making each household inhabitable, solving drinking water problems, providing better implements to workers, and implementing total sanitation and waste management.
A sum of Rs.1.27 crore had been allocated for renovating seven roads stretching 1,660 metres inside the colony. This was apart from the Rs.31,25,000 given for constructing footpaths.
Funds had been allotted for building new houses, (Rs.1.56 crore); renovating existing houses ( Rs.32,50,000) ; constructing toilets (Rs.20,50,000) setting up biogas plant (Rs.4,35,000); goat farming (Rs. 1,20,000) and cattle rearing (Rs.6,00,000); three banana-chips-making units (Rs.6,00,000); and poultry farming (Rs.57,442).
A committee with Kottur grama panchayat president T.K. Sreedharan as chairman for implementing the project had been constituted.
