Chennai, May 26 (BPNS)
The parliamentary standing committee on water resources will visit Tamil Nadu on Thursday, May 26, and will leave for Kerala for a meeting in that state on Friday.
The committee members will hold meetings with the representatives of the Tamil Nadu government, the Ministry of Jal Shakthi, and central and state water resources departments.
Safety of Mullaperiyar dam will feature prominently in the meeting to be held in Chennai on Thursday. Reservoir management, flood control measures, the Cauvery dispute, and floods management in Chennai will also feature in the discussion.
Solid and Liquid waste management under the Swatch Bharat Mission will also come up for discussion of the Parliamentary standing committee.
The members will pay a visit to the Nemmeli Seawater Desalination plant after the committee meeting. Tamil Nadu water resources department officials told IANS that the department will bring to the attention of parliament standing committee members to boost the storage of Poondi, Cholavaram, and Chembarambakkam reservoirs to meet the demand of the rising drinking water needs of the city.
The state water resources department has submitted an oral proposal of Rs 20,000 crore to the Jal Shakthi Ministry for renovating the sluices and constructing stormwater drains in the city and suburbs.
The water resources department officials told BPNS that this proposal would be brought to the notice of the parliamentary standing committee to take this up with the Jal Shakti Ministry of Government of India.
It is to be noted that the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee would lead to the Jal Shakthi Ministry sanctioning the project to the state.
The parliamentary standing committee members would be leaving for Kochi in Kerala on Thursday evening. It is to be noted that Kerala and Tamil Nadu are engaged in a major dispute over the Mullaperiyar dam and it is one of the major subjects that will come up before the standing committee in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
