BENGALURU: Karnataka will soon have a new water policy on intrastate water usage and management. The cabinet on Monday approved setting up a of cabinet subcommittee to draft the new water policy. While Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is yet to appoint members to the sub-committee, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is also Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister, said the new water policy will include guidelines for water consumption for agriculture, industrial use as well as drinking water allocation.
Interestingly, the subcommittee is being formed at a time when the State does not have a water resources minister, and the ministry is currently under Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi was forced to resign, following a sleaze tape controversy. “Proposal had been made to come up with a water policy that brings management of water for various uses including agriculture, industrial, drinking purposes etc to be brought under one authority.
After discussions, it has been decided to form a cabinet subcommittee to draft the new water policy,” Bommai said.Responding to a question, he added that the new policy will have nothing to do with interstate water disputes but will be limited to intrastate usage and management. “The policy will focus on prioritising need-based allocation,” Bommai added.
Town and Country Planning Act amended
The cabinet approved an amendment to the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act to cut down dual survey for Transfer of Development Rights (TDR). “Current rules mandate that project authority conducts a survey of land required and sends it to the Planning Authority, which again conducts its own survey. The TDR process is delayed by years. We have approved an amendment that allows issue of TDR after the project authority has submitted its survey report alone. Planning Authority will be given 90 days to issue TDR based on that report, failing which the TDR will be ‘deemed’,” said Bommai.