KALABURAGI: To speed up irrigation projects in the state, to avoid cost escalation and to bring discipline among contractors to complete the works on time, the government has decided to levy penalties on contractors who delay the projects, said Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol here on Sunday.
He said instructions have already been given to officials concerned to levy fines of 1-7 per cent of the remaining cost of the project on such contractors. The penalty clause will apply to all ongoing projects in the state, and officials have been told to build files on these contractors, he added.
If the contractors give genuine reasons for the delay, the penalties will be exempted, he said. “Delays have been pushing up the cost of projects, impacting the exchequer. That was the reason it was decided to impose fines on contractors.”
The irrigation department has already started imposing fines on such contractors and the Krishna Neeravari Nigam Ltd managing director has been told to penalise and blacklist five contractors in the Kalaburagi range, he said.
The government has started the process of increasing the height of Almatti Dam to 534.468 metre as per the orders of the Krishna River Tribunal. Twenty villages will be submerged and the department is identifying these areas, where land will be purchased soon, he said.
‘National Project tag for Upper Bhadra in two months’
The Centre will declare the Upper Bhadra Project a National Project in the next two months. Already, four departments have given the approval, said Minister Govind Karjol