BENGALURU: Water Resources Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said acquiring 1,33,887 hectares of land, including canals and villages, for the Upper Krishna Project (UKP-3) to store an additional 100 tmcft of water is a challenge. During a meeting to review Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam (KBJNL) projects, the minister asked officials not to succumb to pressure from politicians, including local MLAs, in the process of issuing notifications for 87 villages out of 184 villages at the earliest. He said land acquisition should be done as per the law.
The minister said he would hold a special meeting with the regional commissioner and general manager in this regard. He also promised to expedite the process for the speedy settlement of court cases related to UKP 1,2,3 projects and provide financial assistance.
He directed that horticultural farmers in Vijayapura should not face water shortage. The minister warned KBJNL officials that delaying work on the pretext of court cases will not be tolerated, and there will be no compromise on the quality of the work.
Chaluvarayaswamy received comprehensive information about KBJNL projects. According to a statement from the minister’s office, during the meeting, he expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the drip irrigation provided to 24,000 hectares to achieve the expected success. Contractors were not supplying water properly and were violating the five-year maintenance rule, he said, and warned of taking action against them.
