TUMAKURU: One poll promise has been translated into action bringing cheer to the people. Hemavathi river water from the Goruru reservoir in Hassan district has started flowing into the Madaluru big tank in Sira taluk. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had promised the release of water in six months’ time during the Sira bypoll campaign. Newly elected BJP MLA Dr C M Rajesh Gowda took the initiative to clear the 34 km canal of weeds and some bottlenecks that eventually helped the early flow of the water.
Rajesh Gowda, Anekal Narayanaswamy, MP, Chidananda M Gowda, MLC, district BJP president B Suresh Gowda and the Kunchitiga Vokkaliga religious head Sri Nanjavadhuta performed ‘Ganga pooja’ on Monday for the release of water from Kallambella tank to Madaluru.
It was during the N Dharam Singh-led Congress-JD(S) government that Congress leader T B Jayachandra had managed to get the Hemavathi river water from Cauvery to Kallambella and Sira tanks in the Krishna basin for drinking water purposes.
This was despite opposition to this initiative. BJP leaders Sogadu Shivanna and B Suresh Gowda had even written to then CM Yediyurappa in 2009 urging him not to grant the project to Madaluru tank. But with the changing times, the BJP leaders during the Sira bypolls got the CM to commit to the release of water and made it a major poll plank. This was one of the factors for the BJP’s win.
During January 2012, then external affairs minister S M Krishna had laid the foundation stone for the construction of the canals that were completed during 2016. It was during October 2017 that Jayachandra, minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, managed to get the trial run of the water to the Madaluru tank for ten days.