Water Resources Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy chairing an irrigation review meeting in Belagavi on Monday. | Photo Credit: P.K.
BADIGER Water Resources Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy reprimanded officials in Belagavi on Monday on the charge of spending nearly ₹400 crore without approval from the Forest Department.At a meeting to review irrigation projects, he also objected to delays in the completion of the planned work on the Ballari Nala Flood Mitigation Project and others.“You have already spent ₹400 crore on the construction of a new dam at Ballari Nala.
This was done without even obtaining permission from the Forest Department. What have you achieved by this?
Who is forcing you to do such things?” the Minister sought to know.The Minister chaired a progress review meeting on Monday at the office of the Chief Engineer of the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam North Zone.He expressed displeasure over a pending project that was initiated 20 years ago at a cost of hundreds of crores of rupees.“Why has the work not been completed even after all these years? How did the construction begin without permission from the Forest Department?
You know very well that it is impossible to construct a dam without clearance from the Forest Department. But I see that over ₹400 crore has been spent only on the canals.
What is the point of building canals without a dam? Will they not fall into disrepair?
Who encouraged you to squander so much of public funds?” he asked.“The situation is similar under many irrigation projects in the North Karnataka region. It is not right for government officials to squander public funds in this manner.
You must act responsibly,” he said.The Minister asked officers to submit a detailed report covering the left and right banks of Hidkal Dam, the details of the command area and a brief note on the Ballari Nala Project by evening.He reviewed the progress of 17 projects within the North Zone, including the Hipparagi, Ghataprabha and Dudhganga projects in Belagavi.The cost of the Ballari Nala Project, which stood at ₹135 crore in 2005, has now risen to ₹635 crore.The Minister directed that the cost escalation be placed before the Corporation’s Board for approval. He further instructed that the tender process should commence only after obtaining clearance from the Forest Department.Additionally, he ordered the immediate handover of land identified in Belagavi and Bagalkot districts to the Forest Department for compensatory afforestation.“Regardless of who becomes the Minister in the future, you should work in such a way that it is for public interest and that leaves you feeling good about it.
The work we do should not lead to problems,” he said.“A Detailed Project Report worth ₹3,650 crore has been submitted for repairs, leakage prevention and modernization of the canals under the Hidkal Dam project. Once completed, this project will resolve all issues within the command area of the Left Bank Canal.
The State government will appoint a dedicated officer for the project,” he said.He asked officers to take up strengthening work for Markandeya Dam. “Nearly all work is done. But we need more funds.
We will urge the Union government to release ₹92 crore required to complete the remaining project works. We will also seek expert opinions on how to stop leakages from the reservoir.
What is the use of having a dam if the distribution canals are not built? We need to prioritize the completion of the distribution canals,” the Minister said.He asked them to see that all works are done within the scheduled time limits.“All these years, the Maharashtra government used to release surplus water to Karnataka.
However, now, we have come to know that Maharashtra is preparing to lift and divert such river water elsewhere during the period from June to October. In the interest of our farmers, the Chief Minister of Karnataka will hold discussions with his counterpart in Maharashtra and submit a formal request to ensure that the State’s interests are protected,” he said.A new irrigation law will be brought in to ensure the proper management of irrigation projects and to prevent the unauthorized pumping of water from canals.