Mandya KDP review meeting conducted, replenishment of lakes emphasised

The Hindu

5 days ago

Minister for Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy directed the officials in Mandya to accord priority to replenish lakes in the tail-end region of the Cauvery command area as the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir was full.
He was chairing a review meeting of the Karnataka Development Programme in Mandya on Saturday. Mr. Cheluvaraswamy, who is also the Minister in charge of Mandya district, said that if there were issues related to replenishment of lakes with the farmers in the upstream region of the command area, then the MLAs in that area should be consulted.
The Minister ruled out shortage of fertilizers in the district, but expressed concern that an artificial scarcity may be created. He instructed the officials to ensure that fertilizer dealers display the stock available, and called for crackdown on any illegal stockpiling of fertilizers.
Noting that crop loss tends to be heavy due to the vagaries of nature, the Minister instructed the agriculture department officials to create greater awareness among farmers of the benefits of crop insurance. Farmers are required to pay only 2% of the premium, and it will be highly beneficial during droughts or heavy rains, he added.
The officials made a presentation pertaining to water availability in various lakes, and it was pointed out that there were 968 waterbodies in Mandya district, out of which 302 were full to the brim due to copious rains.
There were 164 lakes that had more than 75% water collection, while 125 lakes had 50% to 75% storage. There were 184 lakes with a storage between 25% and 50%, while 192 lakes had storage below 25%. It was then that the Minister intervened and instructed that priority should be accorded to replenish the lakes as the KRS was full.
With regard to agriculture, the Minister was informed that 44,596 hectares of land had been brought under sowing against a target of 1,92,103 hectares. Sugarcane, paddy, ragi, groundnut, maize, alasande or cow peas, sesame, black gram, etc., had been taken up by the farmers.
With respect to the multi-village water supply scheme, the officials said that the Jaladhare scheme covering 794 habitations in K.R. Pet, Nagamangala, and Pandavapura was being implemented at a cost of ₹943 crore, and 60% of the works had been completed. The project is expected to be fully commissioned by January 2026.
The second scheme, covering 396 habitations in Maddur and Mandya taluks, was being implemented at a cost of ₹372.92 crore, and land acquisition and material procurement for it was under progress. The third scheme, covering 168 habitations in Maddur and Mandya, will cost ₹230.18 crore, and land acquisition for the same was under progress. The Jaladhare scheme, covering habitations in Malavalli and Srirangapatana, was also in the land acquisition stage and financial bids had been invited. The drinking water project under Jaladhare scheme will cover 1,593 habitations, and cost ₹1,836.64 crore, the officials stated in their presentation.
Ramesh Bandisiddegowda, P.M. Narendraswamy, H.T. Manju, and Darshan Puttannaiah — MLAs; K. Vivekananda, MLC; Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, K.R. Nandini, ZP CEO, and others were present.