CHITRADURGA: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said the State Government has approved Rs 2,238 crore development projects for Hiriyur taluk.
Speaking after performing bhoomi puja for the Rs 244-crore irrigation project, the CM said he has come with a sense of responsibility to continue the works envisioned by the late D Sudhakar, the former minister.
Hiriyur is soon to have byelection to the Assembly.
The CM said Hiriyur is as important to him as Kanakapura, his home turf. “Special grants will be released for drinking water and road development in Chitradurga district through the Rural Development Department,” the Cheif Minister said.
The irrigation project is intended to improve water availability in the drought-prone region. Hiriyur is among the worst-hit regions in the state and groundwater levels had declined sharply and borewells were failing even at depths of 1,000 feet.
Minor Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh said the project would involve constructing a submersible diversion weir across the Vedavathi river to collect and pump 0.3tmcft of water. The water would be supplied to 16 lakes, including 10 under the Minor Irrigation Department and six under the Zilla Panchayat.
The project would involve laying 28 km of MS pipelines and 16 km of HDPE pipelines. Two 2,000-HP vertical turbine pumps would be installed to facilitate water transfer. Singh said the works would be completed within 20 months, earlier than the 30-month timeline indicated by the CM.
Earlier, the Chief Minister also said the Gruha Lakshmi installment for October would be released shortly.
