BELAGAVI: The relentless attempts made by the state government, farmers and various organisations from different parts of Karnataka for the implementation of the Kalasa-Banduri project has paid off as the Centre has given its approval for implementation of the Kalasa-Banduri project on Thursday.
A revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project which the state government had submitted to the Centre has been cleared by Central Water Commission (CWC), allowing Karnataka to avail its share of 3.9 TMC water from the Mahadayi river under the Kalasa-Banduri project.
Speaking at the legislative assembly on Thursday, Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol recalled the efforts made by the government headed by Basavaraj Bommai to get the revised DPR of the project cleared and said the DPR was revised under the guidance of the CM who is also an irrigation expert.
Speaker of the legislative assembly, Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri also appreciated the efforts made by Bommai and Karjol to get the approval for the project and said it would help the state to deal with the water crisis in the North Karnataka region.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi thanked the state government for its efforts and tweeted, "Central Water Commission has approved a much-awaited DPR for Kalasa-Banduri project. I sincerely thank PM Narendra Modiji, Home Minister Amit Shah and Central Minister Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.''
Joshi also thanked the state government headed by CM Bommai for making a constructive, detailed project report on the project.
It is a victory for 30 year long farmers' struggle: Bommai
Expressing joy over the approval given to the project, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said his government overcame several challenges before getting the revised DPR cleared.
He said, "it is the victory for the 30-year-long struggle of the farmers of North Karnataka. I will invite tenders and start the work on the Kalsa-Banduri project at the earliest."
Recalling the turn of events in connection with the project, Bommai told the media on Thursday that the project was initiated in 1988 when his father S R Bommai was the CM. Although the then CM of Goa Prabhakar Rane had an agreement with Karnataka to get this project implemented, the governments which came to power in Goa opposed the project eventually and the project became a dispute between the two states. A large number of farmers who waged protests demanding its implementation suffered lathi charges on several occasions.
"The then AICC President Sonia Gandhi had said during the 2009 Goa election that not even a drop of water would not be diverted from the Mahadayi river. When the Goa government moved the court opposing the project, a tribunal was formed. When the tribunal ordered the Karnataka government (Congress) not to divert water from Kalasa, the Congress government filed an affidavit to the tribunal declaring that it would build a wall to the inter-linking canal.
"Even today, the wall is still intact and that has been the achievement of their (Congress) government. In India, there is no instance of a wall being built for any of the major projects except for the one built here by the Congress government. Now, we got all the hurdles cleared and got the revised DPR cleared by the Centre. The CWC has said the hydrology and inter-state issues cleared and our road to implement the project is clear without any more hurdles now,'' he said.
He said eight environmental cases were filed to halt the project but the state government won all of them.