From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 7: Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, who is also heading the water resources department, announced release of 2.75 tmcft of water from the Almatti and Narayanpur dams to save the chilli crop in the Upper Krishna basin areas.
Speaking to media persons at his residence in Bengaluru on Sunday, he said the water release will start immediately as it has to cover areas at a distance of 75 kms and may reach the tail-end farmers in two or three days.
Ministers Sharan Basappagouda Darshanapur and R B Thimmapur along with water resources and urban development additional chief secretary Rakesh Singh and Krisna Bhagya Jal Nigam managing director Mohan Raj were also present.
He said the ministers from Kalaburgi, Raichuru, Bagalakot and Yadagir held discussions with the legislators of the region and officials as well as representatives of farmers from the region last night seeking urgent release of water to save the chilli crop.
The farmers have represented to the government that the crops were drying up due to lack of water and if water is not released immediately crops worth Rs 2000 crore would be destroyed.
Shivakumar said Almatti and Narayanpur dams had a storage of 47 tmcft of water, of which 37 tmcft is needed for drinking water purposes and another 3 tmcft for other purposes. Besides, there is likely to be wastage of about 1.5 tmcft during the process of release. However, accepting the demand of the farmers and representatives from the region, a decision on release of 2.75 tmcft water has been taken.
The farmers have been requested to judiciously use water as the state needs to preserve water for another 5 to 6 months until the onset of monsoon, he said.
31 MPs team visiting State
The deputy chief minister said a team of 31 MPs are visiting the state in connection with the Union Government’s proposal for inter-linking of rivers on Monday and Tuesday.
Inter-linking of rivers is an ambitious project which may help the basin states and needs to be studied in detail. Such projects may definitely help during the times of distress, he said.
No politics over God, Religion
Answering questions on whether he would be attending the Ram Mandir function at Ayodhya on January 22, Shivakumar said he and the chief minister have not been invited.
However, our party National President and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi have been invited. The party will take a decision on participation, he said.
At the same time, Shivakumar made it clear that the Congress party does not believe in indulging in politics over God and Religion. “We have images of Shiva and Hanumatha in our homes and performing pujas,” he said.
Shivakumar, however, said the RSS leaders were using the rice distributed under the government’s Anna Bhagya programme while giving the invitations for ‘mantrakshate’ and we are happy about it, he said.
To a question on BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai’s statement that Congress government has no contribution in the Anna Bhagya scheme and the rice supplied by Modi government is used, Shivakumar said, “Bommai must be getting old and must be forgetting things.”
“It is our government which first launched Anna Bhagya scheme and the Food Security Act was introduced by Manmohan Singh government and Sonia Gandhi. We were ready to distribute 10 kgs. But Modi government refused to allow us to buy 5 kgs rice. Bommai must be forgetting things,” he said.
Asked about JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy’s statement that the state government’s Delhi representative T B Jayachandra has been ‘gagged’ to prevent him from speaking on the NICE road project, Shivakumar retorted by saying “Why did he not discuss the issue in the legislature. We had agreed for a debate,” he said.