Revive the historic Buckle Channel soon

Tuticorin: A detailed project report will be prepared soon to revive the historic Buckle Channel passing through the heart of the town, where free flow of water is blocked now, said the Collector, R. Palaniyandi.Speaking to reporters here on Monday, he said that deweeding and desilting would be carried out wherever it was necessary, based on the report.

"We had entrusted the preparation of the report with the Willbur's Consultants, a Chennai based firm. They are expected to submit the note to the authorities concerned before October 31 this year," he added.As part of the project, black top roads would be laid along the sides of the 5.28 km stretch of the channel, which was constructed during the British regime to drain rainwater from the town into the sea.

An effluent treatment plant too has been planned near the confluence with sea to ensure that water was free from sewage, before it was let into the Gulf of Mannar.On other development works, he said that a gasifier crematorium would be established off Tuticorin-Tirunelveli highway at a cost of Rs.40 lakh and a slaughter house at an outlay of Rs.20 lakh near the New Bus Stand here, both during the current fiscal.A similar crematorium would come up under Kovilpatti municipal limits also during the current financial year, at a cost of Rs.40 lakh. "We had selected the site for the project at Natarajapuram burial ground," the Collector said.

Dr. Palaniyandi gave away a citation and a cash award of Rs.300 to R. Saranya, a student of Subbiah Vidhyalayam Middle School here, who bagged the first prize in the State-level painting competition conducted by the Indian Council for Child Welfare recently.The Additional Assistant Elementary Education Officer (AAEEO), Ovalasu Perumal, was present.