BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who holds the water resources portfolio, told department officials to take up Mekedatu and Mahadayi water reservoir projects on priority and to start the preparatory works. Meeting the officials on Tuesday, he set them a target to get approvals from the Centre for irrigation-related projects in the state. He told them to focus on completing pending projects, mobilising resources for projects and generating employment.
He asked them why no work has been initiated, like acquiring land, in the Mekedatu project, though the state government had allotted Rs 1,000 crore. Shivakumar had taken out a massive rally from Mekedatu to Bengaluru in May last year, urging the then BJP government to implement the project.
He told the officials that while neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra got many irrigation projects, Karnataka was allotted only a few. This shows that the state has not got justice. Officials should work to get more projects to the state from the Centre, he added.
He said Congress had promised to utilise Rs 1 lakh crore in the next five years for irrigation projects. “You should work on mobilising resources, either from the government or other sources,” he said.
Appreciating Union Water Resources Minister Gajendrasingh Shekawat, Shivakumar said he is a good man. “Let us take his help for Karnataka. Let’s also take MPs into confidence. If needed, we will meet the Prime Minister and other Union ministers,” he said.
Shivakumar told them not to compromise on the quality of work and warned them that there should strictly be no corruption. Officials should not waste their time calling tenders, allotting works, generating bills and other such works. “Let us bring changes. If you don’t work, some other official will work in your place. Get the work done,” he said.
Shivakumar, who was water resources minister in the HD Kumaraswamy-led JDS-Congress coalition government in 2018, said, “After I stepped down from the department, no progress has been seen.”
He urged the officials to prepare a blueprint to develop reservoirs into tourism hubs.