JOIN US'Surface water, permanent solution to water crisis'
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Thursday, said surface water is the only source of water to cater to the needs of the people.
Addressing the gathering, after laying foundation for various works, including the permanent drinking water supply project, at Varuna constituency, represented by him in the Legislative Assembly, taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 191.08 crore, the chief minister said: “It is inevitable to tap surface water in the wake of failure of borewells, open wells and rainfall, that were also the temporary sources of water earlier”.
The water drawn from surface sources like rivers and other water bodies will be purified and supplied to the people. Except when sufficient water is not available in the rivers, water can be supplied regularly to the people, said Siddaramaiah.
The chief minister said, in Varuna constituency alone, of the total 218 villages, 168 villages will be supplied water from rivers Cauvery and Kapila, while the remaining 50 villages will be brought under the network in future. In Mysuru district alone, a total of Rs 518 crore is being spent to supply water from the rivers to 818 villages.
Ahinda budget
Taking a dig at the opposition parties for terming all his actions, especially the recent budget as pro-Ahinda (a Kannada acronym for alpasankhyata (minorities), hindulida (backward) and Dalit communities), the chief minister spoke in a mixed tone.
“They (Ahinda) should also be brought to the mainstream of the society, by infusing strength, both socially and economically. However, the budget, in particular, is not only for Ahinda, but for the cause of poor people — irrespective of caste and creed, including Brahmins,” he said.
PM Modi
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister chided ‘swachh bharat’ scheme as a new version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan that existed earlier. He enquired the status of the Smart City project in Mysuru as announced by Modi earlier.
Water
A majority of Rs 62.15 crore will be spent on drinking water supply projects for 107 villages covering Biligere, Tumbala, Mannehundi and M C Hundi, followed by 16 overhead tanks at a cost of Rs 2.40 crore, out of the Rs 191.09 crore earmarked for the developmental works, for which foundation was laid on Thursday.