A meeting of elected representatives called here on Monday to chalk out the future course of action with regard to the Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project, decided to ask Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to lead an all-party delegation to the Centre seeking immediate clearance for the project.

The meeting — which was called by Dharwad North MP Prahlad Joshi and attended among others by Water Resources Minister K S Eshwarappa, Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar, Dharwad South MP Manjunath Kunnur, Belgaum MP Suresh Angadi, Bagalkot MP P C Gaddigoudar, Janata Dal (United) MLC Basavaraj Bommai and Congress MLC A M Hindasgeri, besides a host of other MLAs — dwelt in detail upon the impediments coming in the way of the implementation of the project.

The meeting decided that the all-party delegation should urge the Centre to lift the administrative stay it had slapped on the project, which was aimed at providing drinking water to cities like Hubli-Dharwad, Gadag and others. This administrative stay was accorded by the previous BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the instance of the then Goa government, which was opposing the project.

Early nod
Moreover, the Chief Minister-led delegation should also seek an early clearance for the project from the Union Forest & Environment Ministry, the meeting here decided. It was also decided that the Centre should be asked to file an affidavit immediately, as sought by the Supreme Court, which wanted to know whether the Centre had any objection to the project as it was for drinking water purposes, and was being taken up entirely with State government funds.

It may be mentioned here that, in accordance with the Union government’s policy and several Supreme Court rulings, permission of the Centre was not needed for projects being taken up for drinking water purposes with funds from the respective state governments, even if the project involved an inter-state river.

At Monday’s meeting, the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s recent statement in Goa that the Congress would not allow the diversion of the Mahadayi river, of which Kalasa and Banduri are the tributaries, also came in for criticism from the BJP. However, it was decided that the all-party delegation would also meet Ms Gandhi, apprise her of the issue and ask her to favour Karnataka with regard to the project.

Mr Eshwarappa agreed that Monday’s all-party meeting did not have any legal sanctity. He, however, said he would apprise Mr Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa of the deliberations.

In Mangalore, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has promised to created a congenial situation to begin the Kalasa-Banduri canal project, by vacating the stayt,  Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge said. He said a Congress delegation had met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. The Congress president had promised to remove hurdles in taking up the project after having a talk with Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz, Mr Kharge said.