The State government will soon permit farmers and brick kiln units to take silt from waterbodies across the State, Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said in the Assembly on Wednesday.
In his reply to the debate on the demand for grants for the Water Resources Department, the Minister said the District Collectors would be asked to provide permission to remove silt and savudu, a coarse type of earth, from the beds of tanks, channels and reservoirs.
The proposal to allow farmers, potters and brick kiln units to take clay, silt and gravel from the waterbodies was discussed during a recent conference with Collectors, he said. Earlier, many MLAs had emphasised the need to provide permission for the same, as several cottage industries in places like Kanniyakumari depended on it.
Constructing more check dams across the State to conserve resources that otherwise drain into the sea, and removing the invasive Seemai Karuvelam (Prosopis Juliflora) were some of the other demands. Noting that the need for check dams was highlighted by many MLAs, the Minister said, “I stand by my promise to construct 1,000 check dams in five years.”
The service regularisation of non-muster roll employees would be considered to be taken up in a phased manner, he said.
