MYSURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the water resources portfolio, has said that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu project has been prepared and will soon be submitted to the Union Government for approval.
Speaking to reporters at the Madhyaranga Temple in Kollegal, Chamarajanagar district, Shivakumar said that the groundbreaking ceremony for the project will be performed after receiving clearance from the Centre.
“We have already prepared the DPR for the Mekedatu project and opened a dedicated project office. Land is being identified to compensate for the forest area that will be submerged. The DPR will soon be submitted to the Centre, and after approval, the foundation stone for the project will be laid,” he said.
On the long-standing Cauvery water-sharing dispute, Shivakumar said that Tamil Nadu has no right to object to the Mekedatu project. He said the Supreme Court had directed that the issue should be decided by the Central Water Commission.
The Deputy Chief Minister, on government completing three years, said the government had fulfilled its promises and introduced Bhoo Guarantee as its sixth guarantee scheme.
“We are issuing property records with photographs of both the owner and the property and delivering khata documents to every household. These are works no previous government undertook. We are repaying the trust of the people,” he said, adding that more developmental works would be taken up in the remaining two years of the government’s tenure.
Expressing concern over possible rainfall deficiency this year, Shivakumar said the government was discussing measures to protect farmers and address potential drinking water shortage if the monsoon fails.
Rejecting superstitions associated with Chamarajanagar, he said the belief that leaders lose power after visiting the district was baseless. “Chamarajanagar is a historic and sacred land blessed with religious and natural wealth along the banks of the Cauvery. Where there is devotion, there is God,” he said.