Centre recommends funds from Japan for TN

Chennai, Aug 8 (UNI) The Centre has recommended to the Japanese government to release funds from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for the Rs 1,005 crore Hogenekkal Integrated Drinking Water Project to cater to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts of Tamil Nadu.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a letter to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, said the Centre, following state government's plea, had written to the Japanese government and recommended release of funds, an official release here said.

The project envisaged drawing water from River Cauvery in Hogenekkal to meet the drinking water needs of Dharamapuri and Krishnagiri, where the ground water was polluted by high flouride content. As the two districts were drought-prone, they faced acute drinking water problem during the summer, the release said.

To provide protected drinking water to the people of the two districts, the state government had drawn up the water project to take about 160 million litre a day from the Cauvery in Hogenekkal, about 45 km from Dharmapuri.

After getting Central permission to draw water, the state sent the scheme to the Urban Development Ministry, which forwarded it to the Economic Affairs Department for availing funds from JBIC, it said.

After JBIC representatives called on Mr Karunanidhi in July last and held detailed discussions, the Prime Minister, as a follow-up, took up the matter with Japan.

Tetsuo Shioguchi, Senior Executive Director and Board Member, JBIC, Tokyo and K Nakagawa, Chief Representative, JBIC, New Delhi, called on Mr Karunanidhi at the Secretariat here on July 17 and held detailed discussions, the release added.

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