BENGALURU: BJP leaders are slamming the state government, charging it with negligence for the sluice gate of the Tungabhadra dam being washed away, that led to a flood-like situation as well as waste of water, causing distress to farmers who had faced drought last year.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said the government’s negligence had led to water wastage which has left farmers in distress. He charged Deputy CM and Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar of working for his party high command rather than his department. “For him, party welfare is more important than people.
Shivakumar is trying to mobilize funds for the party and other states, how will he get time to look into all these things? If Shivakumar had convened a meeting with the technical team of the dam, this would not have happened. He did not bother to get this dam repaired,” said Ashoka. Slamming Chief M Siddaramaiah, he said he should resign from the post if he cannot take care of farmers.
BJP State President BU Vijayendra demanded that arrangements be made to evacuate people from villages in and around the dam where a flood-like situation is expected, and that the state government repair the damage at the earliest.
Former CM Basavaraj Bommai said the Tungabhadra Dam was constructed during the pre-Independence era and has faced several issues over time. One of the major problems was the accumulation of silt. During the BJP’s tenure, a project report was prepared to construct a parallel dam to address these issues.
The Dam Management Committee, which was formed by the central government, provided several recommendations. The state government should have implemented these recommendations on priority. It seems like the government did not take these recommendations seriously or this situation could have been avoided, he added.