Chennai: It
was a dream come true for thousands of water-starved and
flouride-affected people of  Dhar­mapuri and Krishnagiri districts as
chief minister Jayalalithaa on Wednes­day inaugurated the Rs 1,928 crore
Hogenakkal Combined Water Supply Scheme, nearly five de­cades after it
was conceived. While taking pri­de for launching the scheme, she blasted
DMK leader Stalin for alleging that the scheme had fallen behind
schedule.

Inaugurating the water project, through
video-co­nferencing from the  secretariat here, the CM said she was
delighted to lau­nch the dream project of the people of Dharma­puri and
Krishnagiri districts. “I feel proud to la­unch this much-awaited Rs
1,928 crore scheme,” she said.

The
CM also hit out at DMK treasurer Stalin for his ‘malicious’ campign
al­leging that the AIAD­MK had de­layed the sc­heme and he could
complete it in two months if given the chan­ce.

Recalling
that a DPR was prepared for implementing the project when the late MGR
was the chief  minister in 1986, she said, “During my first tenure a 
project report was prepared for the sc­heme in 1994, but could not be
implemented owi­ng to lack of funds.”

Wh­en
she assumed power for second time, a revised pr­oposal was sent to the
Ce­ntre in August 2005, after including few more areas with Rs 1,500
crore financi­al aid from JICA. “After that, the foundation stone was
laid in 2008 for the pr­oject, which tri­ggered pr­o­tests from the
Karna­taka unit of BJP. Against this, I had ann­o­unced a pr­­otest on
Aug­ust 26, 2008.” 

Following
this, a resolution seeking Centre’s ass­itance to TN was adopted in the
Assembly. But wi­th­out informing the Ho­use, the then CM M.
Ka­r­u­nanidhi annou­nced ho­l­d­ing the project till a new government
in Karn­ata­ka assumed offi­ce aft­er assembly polls. “I tried to raise
the issue in the As­sembly but was not permitted. By 2011, when the
AIADMK took over, 50 per cent of the work sh­o­ul­d have been completed
but only 18 per cent was done”, she said. 

Project faced many bumps before fruition

Krishnagiri: The
Hogenakkal drinking water project (HDWP) implemented to provide safe
drinking water to the fluoride-affected Dharm­apuri and Krishnagiri
districts crossed several hurdles before its inauguration on Wednesday.

The
locals said the first proposal for the project came in 1960 when K.
Kamaraj was the chief minister. In 1996, the project took shape with
financial assistance from Japan international cooperation agency (JICA).
But this was dropped after international sanctions following the
Pokhran nuclear blast in 1998.

HDWP
was re-started after the countries lifted the sanctions. JICA again
came forward to offer loan for HDWP but the project was opposed by
neighbouring Karnataka, against its approval in May 1997, allowing Tamil
Nadu to use Cauvery for drinking water purpose.

In
March 2008, former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was the
first to raise his voice against the project for political reasons and
claimed that the site for the headworks of HDWP, along the course of the
Cauvery in Hogenakkal, belonged to Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa’s
claim sparked controversy and tension in both states. The claim was
later followed by other political and pro-Kannada movements and worsened
the relationship between the two states.

With
works at HDWP held up, Tamil Nadu sought the Union government’s
intervention for smooth implementation of the project. But, Yeddyurappa,
after becoming Karnataka’s CM, gave the green light for HDWP.

The
works for the project were done on a war-footing with 2012 December as
the deadline to complete the project. But, the works were delayed for
other reasons giving room for the opposition to comment that the ruling
AIADMK was shelving HDWP because the foundation stone for the project
was laid in February 2008, during the DMK rule.

On
Wednesday, the police had made elaborate security arrangements across
Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri to prevent group clashes following the poster
war between the AIADMK DMK over the project. The AIADMK members’
posters thanked the chief minister for completing and inaugurating the
project when people in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri were facing water
shortage.

Time for celebration in two districts

Dharmapuri: Several
thousands of people watched as chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, on
Wednesday, inaugurated the Hogenakkal drinking water project to provide
safe drinking water for the fluoride-affected Krishn­agiri and
Dharmapuri districts.

Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts
had made elaborate arrangements following the inauguration from Chennai,
using video-conferencing facility.

In
Dharmapuri, the function was held in Ambedkar nagar, with the
participation of collector R. Lily and others. A similar function was
held in Dinnur village of Hosur in Krishnagiri in the presence of
collector T.P. Rajesh and others.

Several lakhs of people
in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri welcomed the move in their villages by
bursting crackers and distributing sweets immediately after the
inauguration and subsequent release of water from overhead tanks meant
for the project.

Many
villagers also organised special pujas in temples and other places of
worship following the arrival of Cauvery water here. The arrival of the
river water to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri is significant as the river
was of no use to them before the Hogenakkal drinking water project and
also due to the obstacles faced by the project since 1996.

The
project was implemented at a cost of Rs 1,928.80 crore, received as
loan from Japan international cooperation agency (JICA), to provide safe
drinking water.

TWAD sources
said the Cauvery water is pumped from a height of 1,150 metres from
headworks along the course of the river in Hogenakkal to reach Madam of
Pennagaram.

From Madam, the water is treated and
transported to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri using pipelines laid to a
distance of 9,965 kilometres for the project.

HDWP
will deliver 128 mld of water for 30 lakh people but the project is
designed with a capacity of 160 mld to meet the requirements of the
expected 45 lakh population in the next 10 years.