MANDYA: Major and Medium Irrigation and District Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said the state government aims to lay the foundation stone for the Mekedatu project by August next year.
At a press conference in Mandya on Saturday, the minister made key announcements on the state’s irrigation projects and the Cauvery water dispute.
Chaluvarayaswamy said work on the Mekedatu project was expedited immediately after he assumed charge as irrigation minister. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has once again been submitted to the Centre for approval.
He said around 12,500 acres of land would be required for the project, while nearly 20,000 acres has been identified. Suitable land has been identified in place of forest land, he said, adding that efforts were being made to implement the project while protecting forest areas.
“The government has taken this decision in the interest of the people. The Mekedatu project will provide a permanent solution to the Cauvery water dispute,” he said. The minister said technical and legal teams would expedite work on the project. Two irrigation officials have also been stationed in Delhi to follow-up on the matter with the Centre on a daily basis.
‘No water released to Tamil Nadu from KRS’
Clarifying reports regarding the release of water from the KRS reservoir to Tamil Nadu, Chaluvarayaswamy said no water was released to the neighbouring state from KRS. “Water should have been released to Tamil Nadu from June itself.
However, we did not release water in June or July. When there was an order to release 3,500 cusecs, the actual release was higher. Now, an order has been issued to release 12,000 cusecs. Of this, around 10,000 cusecs is being released from the Kabini reservoir. Seepage water is also flowing into Tamil Nadu,” he said.
He said the inflow and outflow figures could not be disclosed at present due to technical reasons and urged people not to create unnecessary confusion over the issue. “There has been a rainfall deficit under every government. We are expecting rainfall until the end of August and I am confident that the KRS reservoir will receive sufficient water by September,” he said.
For the past 20 days, water from the KRS reservoir has been supplied to lakes and standing crops.
Instructions have also been issued to release water from the Hemavati reservoir into canals. A decision on releasing water for short-duration crops would be taken on Wednesday, he added.
Agriculture, dairy colleges planned in Mandya
Chaluvarayaswamy announced that an agriculture college and a dairy farming college would be established in Mandya. The state’s first dairy farming college would be established at Suttur in Mandya, he said. He also announced that free Wi-Fi facilities would be provided at public places across Mandya city.
