Water project to benefit parts of Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, irks farmers in Davangere
In the latest initiative under the Bhadra Reservoir Project, the State government has taken up works to provide drinking water for 146 villages of Chikkamagaluru taluk, 156 habitations in Tarikere, 434 rural habitations of Kadur, 346 villages in Hosadurga (Chitradurga district), besides the Hosadurga town. The project was approved in May, 2022. The total estimated cost for the project is ₹1,829.93 crore.
A similar inter-district dispute has unfolded over Hemavati River Link Canal Project in Tumakuru district, with Tumakuru farmers, supported by opposition leaders, accusing the Congress government of attempting to divert water to taluks of Bengaluru South district.
Farmers' anxiety
The Bhadra Reservoir Project, overall, intends to irrigate over 1.05 lakh hectares spread over Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Davangere districts. The right bank canal, which is about 103 km long, takes water to parts of Davangere district from the reservoir. As per the design of the drinking water project, water would be drawn from an outlet of the right bank canal close to the reservoir, located at Lakkavalli in Tarikere taluk.
The farmers' organizations and politicians of Davangere have raised objections to this, claiming that the outlet at the right bank canal will deny water to the needy farmers. They are worried as, already, the tail-end farmers in the Harapanahalli area are suffering without sufficient water. The new drinking water project would worsen the problems faced by the tail-end growers, they contend.
Former minister M.P. Renukacharya, Harihar MLA B.P. Harish, leader of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha K.T. Gangadhar and others have opposed the project. They argue that they are not against the drinking water project. However, the project should not harm the farmers depending on the canal.
The Bhadra reservoir has a gross capacity of 71.535 TMC. As much as 7.5 TMC has been allocated for drinking water purposes. Making use of this allocation, the RDPR has worked out the new project.
Meeting held
Following the opposition by farmers, a meeting was held at the office of the Superintendent Engineer of the Bhadra project on June 23, under the chairmanship of D. Sudhakar, Minister for Planning and Statistics, who is also in charge of the Chitradurga district.
People's representatives and officers from Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga and Davangere participated in the meeting. The Minister and officers tried to convince the Legislators of Davangere stating that the farmers would not suffer, as the project would utilise only the 30 cusecs of water to be released from the reservoir additionally.
However, those opposing the design argued for a separate aqueduct for the drinking water project instead of an outlet for the existing canal. They also expressed concern over the safety of the canal with the construction of the outlet.
Stopped for now
The meeting concluded with a decision to take a technical opinion on the design and its impact on the canal from the experts of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. Until then, the work would be stopped. A team of experts from IISC visited the project site recently.
Farmers and political leaders of Davangere districts have, meanwhile, planned protests to bring pressure on the government to change the design of the project. On the other hand, there have also been protests by those who will benefit from the project, such as in Hosadurga of Chitradurga district, seeking for its speedy implementation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
17 minutes ago
- India Today
KTR accepts Revanth Reddy's challenge to debate on Telangana farmers' issues
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao has accepted Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's challenge for a public debate on farmers' issues. Rao, popularly known as KTR, said he was ready to confront the Chief Minister anywhere, anytime and dared him to fix the date, time and came after Reddy demanded KTR to have a debate with him on farmers' aim at Reddy, KTR alleged the Chief Minister lacked basic knowledge about agriculture and governance. "I am giving him 72 hours to prepare so that he doesn't end up embarrassing himself by mistaking a basin for a vegetable. This is for his own good," KTR remarked sarcastically while speaking to reporters. Asserting he was ready for the debate, KTR offered to meet at any location chosen by the Chief Minister - whether in Reddy's own constituency of Kodangal, his native village Kondareddypally, or even at the Ambedkar statue or Somajiguda Press Club in Hyderabad. "This is not about mudslinging. Let's put the facts out there. Let's see who really worked for Telangana's farmers," he accused Reddy of betraying Telangana by diverting the state's water to Andhra Pradesh, and claimed that the Chief Minister was acting under the influence of TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. "Revanth has turned Telangana into an ATM for the Congress high command. He's running a puppet government, not a people's one," he what he called the success of the BRS regime, KTR said that agriculture in Telangana had been transformed into a celebration under K Chandrasekhar Rao's regime. He credited the BRS with initiatives like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, Mission Kakatiya and large-scale irrigation projects that, according to him, turned the state into the top paddy producer in the said during the Covid-19 crisis, the BRS set up thousands of procurement centres to ensure that not a single grain went to waste during its rule."Who brought Godavari water into the dry lands of Telangana? Who revived rivers like Kudelii, Haldi and Manjeera? Who stopped farmer suicides and tackled the fluoride crisis? It was KCR, not the Congress," he further accused the Congress government of failing to deliver on its promises, citing the non-payment of farm loan waivers, pensions and crop support schemes. 'Where is the Rs 15,000 per acre support you promised? Where is the Rs 4,000 pension? What happened to the Rs 2,500 allowance for women, free scooters or the 2 lakh jobs?' he asked."The only people happy today are Revanth and his coterie, looting like the Dandupalya gang. Auto drivers, farmers, young people, the elderly, women - none of them are satisfied. Dalits won't vote for a non-functional Dalit Bandhu scheme. Unemployed people won't vote for jobs that never came. Farmers won't vote for a Bharosa scheme that's still pending," he to KTR, every major welfare promise made by the Congress had been either been broken or delayed. "Farmers were promised support for three crops - they haven't even supported one fully. While KCR gave Rs 10,000 per acre on time, Revanth gave just one installment and threw a party," he Reddy's administration a "classic Congress drama", KTR said, 'When Congress talks about farmer welfare, it's like ghosts quoting scriptures. This government is an insult to democracy, just like the Indiramma era when people were jailed during the Emergency.'KTR reminded that even the Centre had acknowledged in Parliament that the BRS stopped farmer suicides and ended the fluoride crisis in Telangana. "Those who can't understand facts are called fools. Those who knowingly deny them are called Revanth Reddy. The truth is known to every villager, every field in Telangana,' he said.- Ends IN THIS STORY#Telangana#Bharat Rashtra Samithi#Indian National Congress
The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Statements on leadership and guarantees continue as Surjewala will visit Karnataka for second time
Rekindling the debate over leadership, an issue that frequently crops up, the Balehonnur-based Rambhapuri Mutt seer on Sunday said that the highest post of the Chief Minister should have gone to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. 'Mr. Shivakumar, who has strived to get the Congress to power, will feel satisfied if he gets the highest post. This can inspire him to do more work,' Veera Someshwara Rajadeshikendra Shivacharya told reporters at Kodihalli Sidddeshwaraswamy Hills in Kanakapura taluk near here. 'Though many are urging for his replacement as the KPCC chief, till he occupies the Chief Minister's post, Central leaders cannot ask him to vacate the post. If he becomes Chief Minister, probably he will vacate the KPCC president's post,' the seer said. His comments came ahead of All-India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala's visit to Bengaluru on Monday as part of his exercise of meeting Congress legislators. Sources said that Mr. Surjewala will be speaking to 45 MLAs over three days this week while he had elicited the opinions of 40 MLAs last week. 'He will speak to another set of MLAs next week. In the next phase, Mr. Surjewala will also meet MPs and Ministers to elicit their views on governance and government.' This will be the second visit after a couple of senior legislators, including MLA for Aland B.R. Patil and MLA for Kagwad Bharamagouda (Raju) Kage, spoke of alleged corruption and slow-paced development works nearly a fortnight ago. H.A. Iqbal Hussain, Ramanagara MLA, had publicly raised the leadership issue indicating that Mr. Shivakumar would become Chief Minister in the next two to three months. Meanwhile, Yelbarga MLA and Chief Minister's Economic Adviser Basavaraj Rayaraddi, who allegedly told Yarvanike villagers in Koppal district on Saturday that if they needed roads the five guarantees had to be given up, on Sunday claimed that his words had been distorted. Stating that he remained firm in his commitment towards the guarantee schemes, he said that there was nothing wrong in supporting the poor. Attacking him, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy questioned the statement and said that such remarks would only reflect the state of affairs of the government. 'You cannot expect any development works from this government,' he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru on Sunday that there was no question of bringing changes to the guarantee schemes. 'It is a programme for the poor of all sections that strengthens them socially and economically. We are giving some amount of money to all MLAs, including those from the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular), for road and bridge works in their constituencies,' he said.
The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Welfare initiatives of government are all-inclusive: Bhatti
The Indiramma government, as part of its all-inclusive welfare and development approach, is providing at least one welfare benefit to nearly 93 lakh families of the total 1.10 crore families in Telangana, said Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. Inclusive growth and welfare of all are the hallmarks of the Indiramma rajyam, he asserted while addressing a public meeting in Madhira town of Khammam district on Sunday. Earlier, he formally launched the distribution of sanction letters to around 1,544 beneficiaries of the State government's flagship Indiramma Housing Scheme from Yerrupalem, Bonakal and Madhira mandals. He also laid the foundation stone for tourism development works worth ₹6.45 crore at the tank bund in Madhira town. Mr. Vikramarka said the State government's welfare initiatives are comprehensive and the scale of their benefits is all-inclusive. 'In just one-and-a-half years, we have implemented some form of welfare programme for every stage of life, from birth to old age,' he asserted. He alleged that the BRS rulers shattered the dreams of poor people of owning a home during their decade-long rule. 'Soon after coming to power, the Congress government began construction of 4.5 lakh Indiramma houses in the first phase by spending ₹5 lakh per house, totaling ₹22,500 crore in just the first year,' he added. He cited his four-month-long People's March padayatra from Adilabad to Khammam as the Opposition leader in 2023 and that of the then PCC president and now Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to know people's problems across the State.
