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Vijay announces major irrigation, education and infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 19 Oct 2026 2 hours ago

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday announced comprehensive development and welfare packages for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, which were won by his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the October 6 by-elections.

The packages cover infrastructure, agriculture, education and civic amenities. They include a new government college, large-capacity storage facilities for farmers and a mega Cauvery drinking water project. The Chief Minister has directed the concerned departments to initiate implementation of the projects in Madurantakam in Chengalpattu district and Dharapuram in Tiruppur district.

Both constituencies, reserved for Scheduled Castes, were won by the Vijay-led TVK in the by-elections.

TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel won the Madurantakam seat with 74,048 votes, defeating DMK candidate I Paranthamen and AIADMK candidate S Kanitha Sampath. In Dharapuram, TVK nominee P Sathyabama secured 66,841 votes, defeating DMK candidate S Suganya and AIADMK candidate K Banumathi.

The highlight of the announcements for Dharapuram is a Rs 1,439-crore Cauvery combined water supply scheme aimed at meeting the drinking water needs of more than 1,200 rural habitations. The package also includes land title distribution and major canal rejuvenation works.

In a statement, the Chief Minister outlined a development plan for Dharapuram, emphasising the Cauvery combined water supply scheme to ensure drinking water reaches rural areas of Tiruppur district.

Of the 2,455 rural habitations in the district, 1,223 are currently covered by existing schemes. The new Rs 1,439-crore project will provide drinking water infrastructure to the remaining 1,232 habitations across the Dharapuram, Kangeyam, Kundadam, Pongalur and Vellakoil panchayat unions, seven village panchayats in Mulanur and 17 village panchayats in Palladam.

Additionally, new overhead water tanks will be constructed across the Dharapuram, Mulanur and Kundadam blocks, providing 13,000 new household drinking water connections.

The government will distribute 2,700 free house-site pattas (land ownership titles) to homeless people in Dharapuram. Vijay also directed officials to take immediate steps to issue pattas to 87 families in Kuruvappa Nayakkan Palayam, who have been living in self-built houses for more than 20 years without legal ownership documents.

To support agriculture, desilting works covering 159 irrigation structures have been sanctioned across Tiruppur district at a cost of Rs 10 crore. The works aim to remove sand deposits and blockages from irrigation canals.

The desilting drive in Dharapuram will cover 271 km of canals and channels, clearing silt, wild bushes and thorny shrubs to restore water flow to agricultural fields.

The Dharapuram Municipality will receive a civic infrastructure upgrade, including Rs 6 crore for a new overhead water tank and improvements to the water supply system. Another Rs 6 crore has been sanctioned for solid waste management and stormwater drain upgrades. Street lighting across the municipality will be modernised at a cost of Rs 40 lakh. A Fire and Rescue Services Station will also be established in Mulanur.

For Madurantakam, Vijay announced a check dam across the Pukkathurai riverbed in Atthimanam village at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore. The plans also include restoring lake sluices in Sempoondi panchayat at a cost of Rs 4.50 crore and desilting and strengthening the bund along the Nelvai panchayat riverbed at a cost of Rs 1.30 crore. A feasibility study and Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared for a high-level check dam across the Palar River between Padalam and Udhayambakkam.

Additionally, the 30-km Madurantakam high-level canal, built in 1984, will be desilted in phases to supply water to 30 local lakes. A community hall will be constructed in Thinnalur panchayat at a cost of Rs 70 lakh. A new 25-MVA transformer, costing Rs 3 crore, will be installed at the Madurantakam substation to improve power supply, the statement said.

The government will establish a state-of-the-art State Seed Farm on 25 acres at a cost of Rs 10 crore. A semi-covered warehouse with a storage capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes will be built at Athur for Rs 20 crore to store procured paddy. Six new direct paddy procurement centres will also be established across the constituency at a total cost of Rs 1.80 crore.

Other announcements include a new Government Arts and Science College for Women at Acharapakkam, a Trauma and Emergency Care Unit at Madurantakam Government Hospital, the upgrading of Pukkathurai Government High School to a higher secondary school and a mini-sports stadium in Karunguzhi at a cost of Rs 80 lakh.

The package also includes a working women’s hostel, a learning centre for educated youth, a weekly public market, new stormwater drains and tourist amenities at Madurantakam lake. Additional government bus services connecting villages across Chengalpattu district will also be introduced to help farmers and students commute more easily.

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