However, official sources said the appointments would be made only if there was sufficient reason to believe that work would be affected because of dearth of employees in the department concerned.

PMK founder S Ramadoss said the government order (GO) issued for appointing retired government employees on contract basis would directly affect 62 lakh youth whose names have been registered on the employment exchanges for job opportunities. Stating that there were more than two lakh vacancies in the Secretariat and other government departments, Ramadoss said filling them up through employees on contract basis would be improper.

Besides, at a time when recruitment of employees on contract basis in private organisations was being criticised, the move of the government in this direction would set a wrong precedent. He urged the government to withdraw the order immediately.

CPM State secretary N Varadharajan too strongly condemned the government move and said this would put a question mark on the future of the unemployed youth in the State.

M Pichaiappa, president, Tamil Nadu government employees union, said that the order would affect the promotion opportunities of the existing employees and would, in due course, demoralise the employees.

DYFI secretary S Kannan said the federation would launch a series of agitations until the government withdraws the order. The first phase of the agitation would be held in Chennai on January 7 in front of the office the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.

After laying the foundation for a tower at Mettur reservoir to mark its platinum jubilee celebrations through video-conferencing from the Secretariat, the Chief Minister said the State government’s fund component for the project was Rs 93.97 crore.

Recalling that whenever the DMK government was in office, the Cauvery and its tributaries were desilted for the benefit of farmers, the Chief Minister said and added that after the present regime assumed office in 2006, Rs 35.80 crore had been spent on desilting waterways.

Besides, officials in the Public Works Department and Rural Development Department have been instruc­ted to complete desilting works before the opening of the Mettur dam next year, Karunanidhi said.

He said the government was awaiting approval for a master plan to be executed at a cost of Rs 5,100 crore to repair the dams and barrages along the Cauvery and its tri­butaries apart from strengthening the banks of the waterways.

The 75-feet platinum jubilee tower at Mettur would be constructed at a cost of Rs 1 crore. It would help tourists get a panoramic view of the reservoir, he said.

The Platinum Jubilee Tower will feature a viewing gallery atop the tower with a lift facility to climb up. The tower will come up at the Mulling Point on the left bank of the Mettur Dam. The point, overlooking panoramic view of the water spread of the dam, was identified by A Mohana Krishnan Advisor, Water Resources, Government of Tamil Nadu. The construction of the dam began under the leadership of British Engineer, Sir Clement Mullings, on July 20, 1925, and it was completed in July 1934 at a cost of Rs 6.12 crore.

According to Salem Collector J Chandrakumar, the spot will be developed as a tourist attraction for which a Rs 6-crore proposal has been sent to government.