Chennai: Famous tourist town and the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur, has been bypassed for funding from the Central Pollution Control Board under the "eco-city" programme. The central pollution control board, through the concerned state pollution control boards and municipalities, implements the programme, initiated by the ministry of environmen and forests in the 10th five-year plan.

Six towns in the country - Kottayam, Puri, Tirupati, Ujjain, Vrindavan and Thanjavur have been selected in the pilot phase of the eco-city programme. The projects undertaken under the pilot phase of the programme for the respective towns are under various stages of implementation. The programme, initiated during the 10th five-year plan, is being continued during the first year of the Eleventh Plan.

In reply to a question raised by Lok Sabha member Suresh Kurup, union minister of state in the ministry of environment and forests Namo Narain Meena stated that the programme has been conceptualised to improve the environment and bring in visible results through implementation of identified environmental improvement projects in the selected towns / cities.

The specific objectives of the programme are to identify the environmental problems in the selected towns through participatory approach to design and prepare details of the prioritised environmental improvement projects; and to create landmarks that show visible environmental improvement. The plan size including the schemes for implementation during the remaining years of the 11th five year plan has not been finalised as yet.

The town-wise amount released by the central pollution control board till the financial year 2006-2007 for the respective projects is given below: