From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Nov 9: Even as the Siddaramaiah regime is yet to receive the green signal for going ahead with the Yettinahole project from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the State Cabinet has decided to acquire 255.05 hectares of land in the Western Ghats for expediting the execution of the project.

Of the 255.05 hectares being acquired in the Western Ghats region, as many as 171.23 hectares would be acquired from planters for the project to ensure supply of drinking water to the drought-prone districts of Kolar, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapura and Bengaluru Rural at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore.

It may be recalled that a Division Bench of the National Green Tribunal, Southern Zone, has extended the stay order against execution of the project till December 21.

The NGT Division Bench at Chenna had ordered status quo on the project after Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL), the project implementation agency, had submitted an undertaking that it would not carry out any works pertaining to the project till the receipt of the clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

BBMP land granted to JD(S) for its Headquarters

In another decision, the State Cabinet has approved allotment of 40,410 sq.ft. of land in the heart of the city belonging to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to the Janata Dal (S) for constructing its headquarters in Bengaluru.

The BBMP land is located on Platform Road in Sheshadripuram near Krishna Flour Mills falls in the BBMP ward number 95.
The land was granted for 33 years of lease period for a monthly rent of Rs. 12,000 and it would come into effect from March 3, 2010.

JD(S) national president and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda performed the ground breaking ceremony for the new party office in March 2015.

No quota in KPSC panel

The State Cabinet, at its meeting, also decided against no gender or caste reservation in the constitution of the interview board of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) while conducting interviewsin the recruitment of candidates for various gazetted posts in the State Government.

It decided to limit the number of interview board to four members. Earlier, there were five members.

Briefing reporters on the decisions taken at the State Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said two members of the KPSC and two experts from outside/retired professors of universities would form the interview panel.

There was no gender or caste consideration while selecting members of the board. Members would be selected purely on merit, he added.