HUBBALLI: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said that he will meet Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi in the first week of April to discuss the inter-state water disputes Karnataka has with other states.
Emphasising the need to solve water disputes, Bommai said the state’s legal time will be provided with the details on cases that are pending for a long time in various courts. “The team will take up cases on a priority basis. The state will also be trying to get the required clearances for the projects that are pending,” Bommai told the media here.
Bommai blamed the prevailing pandemic as the reason for halting several developmental works in the state. “The era of development has come. Projects announced in the recent budget will be implemented at the earliest. I’ll ensure that the budgetary allocations and schemes are implemented on the ground before the end of April. As I have already announced, a committee will be set up under the chief secretary which should start functioning from Monday,” he added.
He also expressed confidence in the Centre clearing pending railway projects. “There are a few hurdles such as land acquisition which will be resolved in the coming days. In a nutshell, I want to say that we will lay the foundation for the planned development of the state in the coming days,” he added.
Bommai pointed out that for many years development of Kalyana Karnataka was delayed for various reasons. “Now, we will ensure that the works pertaining to the Kalyana Karnataka region will be expedited soon. The government intends to provide Rs 3,000 crore for the region and already Rs 1,400 crore has been released,” he added.
Land for Jayadeva institute
Bommai also said that Dharwad Deputy Commissioner has been directed to finalise the land for construction of a regional branch of the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Hubballi. Similarly, a unit of Kidwai will be coming up in Belagavi, and land for the same will be finalised soon, he added.