Chitradurga, Oct 6 (IANS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday that after tall claims, the central government has not released a single rupee for the Upper Bhadra project, which would change the scenario in the central Karnataka region.

Speaking to reporters here, CM Siddaramaiah said the central government and then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had made tall claims of declaring the Upper Bhadra a national project and releasing Rs 5,300 crore funds. “Not a single rupee has been released in this regard till date,” he stated.

“I have written a letter to the central government in this regard. Our minister had met the concerned person and even I have made a visit. Six months have passed, and nothing is moving,” CM Siddaramaiah stated. He maintained that he would allot money for the project in this year’s budget and he would allot more funds in the coming years.

The Upper Bhadra Project is one of the important irrigation projects of the state and it is expected to irrigate over one lakh hectares of land in drought-hit and dry land in Central Karnataka.Besides, it is also a drinking water project that will benefit lakhs of villages. The state had forwarded a proposal to the Union government to declare this project as a national project.

The announcement was made by theruling BJP in poll-bound Karnataka two months before the Assembly elections. The central government fulfilling the long-standing demand had declared the Upper Bhadra scheme as the national project and announced Rs 5,300 crore for the project.

The announcement for the project was expected to consolidate support for BJP. Then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had expressed his happiness over the Rs 5,300 crore grants announced for the Upper Bhadra Project in the Union Budget. However, the BJP suffered a humiliating defeat in the Assembly elections in Karnataka and the project has come to a standstill.