The district administration has identified 258 water bodies from where farmers can lift silt. According to Collector K. Rajamani, the scheme introduced by the State government to allow lifting of silt from water bodies had received good response from farmers.
A total of 18,613 farmers had benefited from the scheme in 2017. Similarly, companies such as TVS and Dalmia Cement had lifted silt from selected water bodies under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and transported the silt to the lands of interested farmers. It also benefited the Public Works Department and District Rural Development Agency to increase the storage capacity in lakes and ponds owned by them. Mr. Rajamani said that the State government has permitted farmers to lift silt from selected water bodies this year too. special camps would be organised in villages for three days from May 2 to create awareness among the farmers on utilising the opportunity. Interested farmers could apply for permission.The officials concerned have been instructed to process the applications as quickly as possible.
