Tamil Nadu Budget 2026: Delta region farmers welcome move to expedite river linking project, studies on building barrages

The Tamil Nadu government’s Budgetary announcement on expediting river interlinking project, especially the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar river link project, and the proposals for carrying out feasibility studies for building barrages across the River Cauvery and ecological restoration of the Cauvery Delta have largely found favour with farmers’ organisations in the central region.

“Though the allocation of just ₹150 crore for the Cauvery-Gundar project is meagre, we welcome it, as the government has taken the project into consideration after it was in cold storage for the past five years,” said G.S. Dhanapathy, State General Secretary, Farmer’s Forum of India, commenting on the State Budget proposals. He suggested that the government could seek funds for the project from the Centre or even raise a loan from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development for executing the project.