The Rs 1,928 crore Hogenakkal Water Supply and Fluorosis Mitigation project, aimed to benefit the water-starved districts of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday.
The much-awaited project which had drawn opposition from Karnataka BJP unit and other local pro-Kannada groups in 2008 during its nascent stages, was inaugurated by Jayalalithaa through video conferencing from the state Secretariat here in the presence of Japanese officials.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JCIA) has funded a significant part of the Rs 1,928.80 crore project that envisages utilising water from river Cauvery to supply drinking water to these two big districts whose water table is largely affected by floride, making the water unfit for human consumption.
In her address, Jayalalithaa said, a detailed project report was prepared in 1986 under AIADMK government.
Led by M G Ramachandran to implement the scheme while a revised project report for Rs 350 crore was made during her 1991-96 regime. However, it could not be implemented for want of funds and another revised estimate for Rs 1,005 crore was prepared which included more areas in her second term as Chief Minister and a proposal was sent to Centre.
Based on this, funds were received and the foundation stone laid in 2008 (during the DMK regime), she said. "The Karnataka unit of BJP (under former party leader B S Yeddyurappa) had staged a protest against this and I announced a massive agitation at Hogenakkal. Following this, Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted resolutions on March 23 and April 1, 2008, seeking Centre's cooperation for the project," she said.
But without informing the Assembly then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had announced holding the project till a new government to then poll-bound Karnataka assumed office. She said she had tried to raise the issue in the Assembly but not permitted to do so.
By 2011, when the AIADMK government took over, 50 per cent of the work should have been completed but only 18 per cent was over, she said, adding her government had expedited the work.
The project will benefit nearly 4 million in 6,755 rural habitations in the two districts. The Hogenakkal project had witnessed its share of controversies with Karnataka state unit BJP and other pro-Kannada outfits protesting it.
Yeddyurappa had even led a protest in Hogenakkal at the height of the controversy. As Chief Minister, Karunanidhi had said at a public meeting in Chennai that even if his limbs were broken, the government would go ahead with the project. The powerful Tamil and Kannada cinema industries had also staged protests in Chennai and Bangalore over the respective states' stand on the issue.
