After a brief lull, quarrying of river sand commenced in five places on Monday, taking the total number of re-opened sand quarries to 12.

On Wednesday last, seven quarries resumed operations. Of the 12 functioning quarries, five are on the Coleroon river (two each in Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts and one in Ariyalur); five on the Cauvery (four in Karur and one in Tiruchi) and two on the Gundar (both in Virudhunagar), according to officials of the Public Works Department (PWD).

The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has roped in Clean Thanjavur Movement, a voluntary organisation, for implementing solid and liquid waste management in six villages around Thanjavur.

Environmental clearances granted last year to Public Works Department for sand quarrying in 21 places on the river beds of Coleroon and Cauvery are now under the scrutiny of the National Green Trib

The Thanjavur Municipality is taking all possible steps to provide drinking water to people without any problem, said Savithiri Gopal, Chairperson, Thanjavur Municipality, here on Wednesday.

Team visits delta regions in Tiruchi, Thanjavur, and Tiruvarur districts

Farmers representatives sought to impress upon the Central team that toured the delta districts on Tuesday the need for sanctioning relief quickly to all farmers as the drought has had a severe impact. Several farmers also insisted that the Centre sanction the full quantum of compensation sought by the State (which has sought about Rs.19,665 crore as drought relief).

Administrative sanction given to the Rs. 90 lakh-project

The State government has allotted Rs. 90 lakh for putting up a bio-gas plant for producing 440 KW power using solid wastes generated by the Thanjavur municipality. Welcoming the move, people of Thanjavur said that it would achieve two objectives. It would help solve the power problem and second would help solid waste management.

A recent study taken up by a team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Chennai, brought to light the serious threat of extinction the coral reef colonies and mangrove forests in the Palk Bay are facing. At present, only two per cent of the coral reefs survive in the area.

Global warming, siltation, release of untreated raw sewage into the water bodies and overgrowth of algae were stated to be the three important reasons for the possible disappearance of coral colonies and its associated organisms from the Palk Bay area.

The Potential Linked Credit Plan (PLP) for 2013-14 for Thanjavur district prepared by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) envisages a credit flow of Rs. 3,489 crore.

The plan was released by K. Baskaran, District Collector, at the bankers meeting on Thursday. S.T. Ravikumar, Assistant General Manager, District Development, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD); Raghu Vatsa Chari, Chief Regional Manager of Indian Overseas Bank; and Gnanavel, Assistant General Manager, Reserve Bank of India; were present.

Farmers are opting for the real estate option due to poor agricultural conditions

Pushed by unsettling agricultural conditions and pulled by lucrative real estate deals, farmers across the famed and fertile Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu are selling their lands to real estate developers. In Amma Chatram, Marudhanallur, Tirunageswarm, Mathur, and in a host of other villages in Thanjavur and adjacent districts, farmlands are being converted to residential plots at a galloping rate.

Farmers protest against the Central clearance for coal bed methane exploration in Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, as they fear it will devastate agriculture in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts.

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