CM instructs officials to release water from dams for irrigation
Siddaramaiah
on Monday instructed officials concerned to release water from dams for irrigation, enabling farmers to begin cultivation.
"Most dams in the state are full. Let's not delay the release of water for irrigation," he said after offering baagina to River Cauvery at KRS Dam near Mysuru.
While he asked the officials to release water to farmers through canals, he also clarified that Karnataka has already released 42 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu, far exceeding the 9.1 TMC required as of June as per the
Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal
order. This indicates that providing water for irrigation will not attract any opposition from the lower riparian state of TN.
He said Rs 25,000 crore was allocated for the water resources department to help the farming community, while Rs 19,000 crore was extended in pumpset subsidies.
He countered opposition claims of financial mismanagement. Recalling the criticism during last year's drought, he said, "The opposition leaders claimed that my tenure was unlucky. But today, we have good rain and a strong agricultural outlook." He also announced Rs 3,000 crore for the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited.
Siddaramaiah, along with deputy CM DK Shivakumar and district minister Cheluvarayaswamy, conducted various pujas as part of the ritual to offer baagina to River Cauvery.
This tradition, started by former CM Devaraja Urs in 1979, is followed when the dam reaches its maximum capacity—a feat achieved 76 times in its 93-year history. Siddaramaiah now equals Urs in having offered baagina four times. As this is the first time in history after the construction of the KRS Dam that the dam has reached its maximum capacity in the month of June, Siddaramaiah now holds the record of offering puja for the first time to the river in June.
He asked the officials to mark the rare occasion by installing a memorial stone at KRS Dam.
Remarkably, this is the first time the ritual was performed in the Hindu month of Aashada, said priest Bhanu Prakash Sharma, as the dam typically fills during the Hindu months of Shravana or Bhadrapada. The Brindavan Gardens and dam premises were specially decorated for the event.
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