Committed to increasing height of Almatti dam, says Bommai
VIJAYAPURA/BAGALKOT: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that his government’s priority is to complete all irrigation projects that come under the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) Phase 3, considered the biggest irrigation project in the state.
Speaking to reporters after offering ‘bagina’ (offerings) to the Krishna river at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Reservoir (Almatti dam) in Bagalkot district, Bommai said, “People of the region demanded that the government give priority to the Krishna by offering prayers to it after the Almatti is filled to the brim. I am fulfilling their wishes.” This is for the first time in recent years that the State Government has offered bagina to the Krishna before the Cauvery rivers.
Bommai, who was on his first visit to the district after assuming office as CM, said he will soon convene a high-level meeting with elected representatives of Bagalkot and Vijayapura, experts and other officials concerned to chalk out a plan for the effective implementation of UKP Phase-3.
To a question on whether the State Government will make an effort for an out-of-court settlement with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to get the gazette notification on increasing the height of Almatti dam from the present 519.6 mt to 524 mt published, he said, “There is no question of out-of-court settlement as the case is in the last leg in the Supreme Court. I will be going to Delhi shortly to hold discussions with legal experts to clear all the hurdles in issuing the notification. As Maharashtra is also involved, I have already held talks with NCP leader Sharad Pawar and their Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil. They have expressed support to Karnataka,” Bommai added.
When asked about declaring UKP Phase-3 as a project of national importance, Bommai said, “There are certain criteria that has to be followed to announce an irrigation project as a national project. We have to look at whether it meets all the required conditions. I have directed the officials concerned to prepare a detailed project report in this regard.”
He said the estimated cost for the implementation of the project has increased three-fold — from Rs 17,000 crore to Rs 51,000 crore. “Funds are the biggest challenge before the government. However, we are determined to implement this project by exploring all possibilities,” he added.
Session in Belagavi in Dec
Belagavi: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that a session of the Karnataka legislature will be held at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi in December. Addressing reporters at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here, he said the government was committed to developing Suvarna Soudha as a power centre on par with Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha. Considering the demand of sugarcane growers to shift the office of the Sugar Commissionerate to Belagavi, Bommai said that he would issue the orders after he reached Bengaluru. “Despite orders issued by the governments in the past to shift offices of a few major departments from Bengaluru to Belagavi, it has not been done,” he added.