Steps taken to desilt lakes, ponds in Puducherry; Minister

The Puducherry government has taken steps to desilt 84 lakes and 720 ponds in the union territory to ensure rain water storage and to recharge groundwater level, PWD Minister A Namassivayam said today.
Replying to a question tabled by opposition AIADMK (Amma) legislator A Anbalagan in the assembly, he said government had also found that associating voluntary organisations to de silt tanks was also helpful.
He said the Pondicherry Heritage Round Table -167 had desilted two tanks in his constituency (Villianoor).
He said the government was adopting tender system to assign the task of de-silting tanks
Members of the ruling and opposition AIADMK (Amma) listed areas where tanks needed to be desilted fast. They also suggestions that soil available after desilting be distributed to farmers for agricultural cultivation.