Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday launched the 'Eri' portal at the Secretariat, a website for issuing permissions to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the restoration and rejuvenation of water bodies across the state. Prominent NGOs working in waterbody restoration, including Siruthuli, received No Objection Certificates (NOCs) at the launch to undertake such projects; five NGOs were issued NOCs in all, among them Mega Foundation, ExNoRa and EFI, according to reports of the event.

Source: The Covai Mail

The portal consolidates information on over 1,00,000 water bodies managed across five government departments onto a single platform. Through it, applicants can apply online for desilting, strengthening of bunds and permitted minor improvement works, using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds — works aimed at augmenting the water storage capacity and operational efficiency of the water bodies.

Source: The Covai Mail

1,00,000+water bodies covered on the portal, across 5 departments
15 daystarget time for issuing certificates to eligible applicants
5NGOs issued restoration NOCs at the launch

Replacing the conventional offline submission system, the portal sets up a transparent, time-bound decision-making framework with the objective of issuing certificates for eligible applications within 15 days. The Chief Engineer and Director of the State Water Resources Management Agency (SWaRMA) has been designated the nodal officer responsible for scrutinising applications, tracking approvals and coordinating across departments.

The portal was developed following representations by NGOs and volunteers who sought to simplify the procedural hurdles they faced across multiple departments while obtaining NOCs for waterbody restoration using CSR funds. By integrating digital technology, CSR contributions and volunteer participation, the initiative aims to drive greater public involvement in water conservation, the reports said.

Source: Nation Press (Chennai news)