AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday urged the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government to take up, at the earliest, the implementation of the   Nadanthaai Vaazhi Cauvery project, which is aimed at rejuvenating the Cauvery river and its tributaries and curbing the mix of of sewage with the river system.

Criticisng the government for indulging in “bragging” about itself and “horse trading,” besides publishing reels on social media, Mr Palaniswami said the State government did not have to carry out any measure for people and farmers in the Cauvery delta other than reviving the project.   Recalling how he, as Chief Minister in 2019,  had submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi a project proposal, which was estimated to cost  ₹11,250  crore, the AIADMK leader said the Union government cleared the project in 2024 for works to be  executed at a cost of around ₹ 935 crore. As per the funding pattern approved, the Union and the State government would share the cost in the ratio of 60:40. But, the previous DMK regime took “no further step,” as a result of which the project did not take off. 

Mr Palaniswami  called upon Chief Minister C. Vijay Joseph, who, he called, was living in the “dreamworld,” to execute the project, which would take care of drinking water and irrigation requirements of the people in the region. 

At the party headquarters in Chennai, he  reviewed the performance of the party in Cuddalore and Pudukottai districts.