Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not releasing any amount for the Yettinahole drinking water project during its tenure (2018-2023), but was preoccupied in spreading misconception over the impossibility of the scheme getting completed.
Inaugurating the first phase of the Yettinahole project at Hebbanahalli in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district, Siddaramaiah said: “I am happy that I am inaugurating a project which was conceived during the BJP’s tenure, but the foundation stone for it was laid by me in 2014.”
“Nobody should have any apprehensions of the project’s completion, which will happen during our tenure in 2027. Some people are trying to sow seeds of suspicion and there is no truth in all the rumours’’ he added.
Siddaramaiah said the Congress government had spent ₹16 crore- ₹17 crore in the last 10 years. “If the BJP had allocated funds for the project, it should have been completed by now. But they will not think of doing such projects,’’ he said. Quoting a statement often used by deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah said: “Allegations made die, but work done remains.’’
The project will mitigate drinking water problems in seven districts of Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Hassan, Ramanagara and Bengaluru Rural districts. Water from the Western Ghats streams will be diverted from west flowing river Netravati in Dakshina Kannada district to the eastern districts. The project envisages lifting 24.01 tmc (thousand million cubic feet, a unit of measurement for volume of water in a reservoir or river) of water available during monsoon. The project will cater to over 7 million (projected population for 2023-24) people of 6,657 villages and 38 towns in 29 taluks of the seven districts. The total cost is estimated to be ₹23, 251.66 crore.
{{/usCountry}}The project will mitigate drinking water problems in seven districts of Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Hassan, Ramanagara and Bengaluru Rural districts. Water from the Western Ghats streams will be diverted from west flowing river Netravati in Dakshina Kannada district to the eastern districts. The project envisages lifting 24.01 tmc (thousand million cubic feet, a unit of measurement for volume of water in a reservoir or river) of water available during monsoon. The project will cater to over 7 million (projected population for 2023-24) people of 6,657 villages and 38 towns in 29 taluks of the seven districts. The total cost is estimated to be ₹23, 251.66 crore.
{{/usCountry}}Siddaramaiah recalled that Congress leaders from Kolar, Chikballapur and Tumakuru had previously met him for access to water to their parched districts and the project was envisaged for this purpose. Referring to the hurdles faced regarding acquisition of land from the forest department, he said: “I will convene a meeting of the forest department officials. They shouldn’t make things difficult for acquisition of land.’’
Shivakumar, also in charge of water resources, said the opposition to the project was immense. “Some critics of the project said they will shave their heads, if it gets completed. I will not reply to all their talk on this special festival day and will reserve my reply to be given in Vidhana Soudha,’’ he added.
Quoting a vachana ( a type of prose writing) from Siddeswara swami, Shivakumar said: “Kudiyuvavaru Kudiyali, uriyuvaru uriyali, namma padige naavu kelasa madabeku, aaga kudiyuvavaru avayagutare, uriyuvavaru boodiyagutare. (let those who drink continue, those who are envious do so, we should do our work, then these people will be reduced to ashes).”
Earlier, the stage specially designed for Siddaramaiah and other ministers to offer bagina (floral offering) at Hebbanahalli in Hassan district fell before the inauguration. The Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam officials had arranged a stage and decorated it with flowers. The stage, attached to the delivery chamber 4, was meant to offer bagina. Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and others were expected to offer bagina after initiating the pumping of water from delivery chamber 3 at Doddanagara.
BJP reaction