Coimbatore: MLA N. Karthik said that wasting taxpayers' money in the name of Noyyal River rehabilitation can no longer be tolerated.
Coimbatore: MLA N. Karthik said that wasting taxpayers' money in the name of Noyyal River rehabilitation can no longer be tolerated.
He inspected the works on the Noyyal river rejuvenation in the Merkupudur area.
He met with the members of the press and said, "At an estimated cost of Rs 230 crore, taxpayers' money is being wasted in the name of the Noyyal river rejuvenation. Under the AIADMK regime, many plans are being made to eradicate not only the people but also the biodiversity.
How water bodies can be protected from contamination without dredging ponds? No river in the world has ever been reconstructed in such a way, without any study and proper planning. Works are done in the name of reconstruction only to commit malpractices. On 05.06.2020, Minister SP Velumani inaugurated the Bhoomi Puja in the name of rehabilitating the Noyyal River at an estimated cost of Rs. 230 crore. Without any study of the Noyyal River and adequate planning, they are engaged in the task of destroying the ecosystem of the Noyyal River wasting Rs 230 crore in view of the making money for election and election expenses.
There is no such thing as reclaiming a river's water resources without restoring its streams, setting up dams, increasing greenery in catchment areas, surveying and demarcating the land, removing encroachments, setting up sewage treatment plants, preventing debris and pollution, and increasing the capacity of ponds. In the name of strengthening the banks of the lakes, money is wasted by pouring concrete into the water bodies without deepening them without any guidelines from the Central Government. This will spoil the biodiversity of the water bodies built by our forefathers.
All the materials used for the construction of the check dam at Nanjundapuram, Merkupudur area are substandard and the work is being carried out in a substandard manner. There is massive corruption going on in the Noyyal River reconstruction work. For the last 5 years, the Coimbatore District East District DMK petitioned the Coimbatore Commissioner several times on behalf of the public. The project is being implemented without publishing the project report to farmers, opposition parties, people's representatives and media.
The work currently underway in the name of Noyyal river rejuvenation can no longer be tolerated as it is an act of wasting taxpayers' money. causing damage to people, water and land. If this is not rectified, the Coimbatore East District DMk will approach the Judiciary to initiate appropriate legal action and we will gather the masses and conduct protests in a peaceful manner."