Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Ministers R B Thimmapur and M B Patil take part in Ganga Pooja before offering bagina to Krishna river.
DH photo
Vijayapura: The state government is committed to and prioritising the proposal to raise the height of the Almatti dam from 518 metres to 524 metres. Within the next week, the price fixed for land acquisition will be announced, said Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
He was speaking at a press conference on Saturday after offering bagina to the Krishna River at the Almatti dam.
“A meeting will be held with the chief minister and the elected representatives representing the project area to finalise the compensation price. Leaders and representatives should agree to land acquisition in one go so that there are no further appeals. A separate decision will be made regarding rehabilitation. Our determination is to provide irrigation to our people with the water that otherwise flows into the sea. We are moving forward to implement this within this tenure,” he said.
“Generous compensation should be given for submerged lands. Since canals passing through farmers’ lands will benefit them, there is no need for demand for extra compensation,” opined MLA Yeshwanthrayagouda Patil. Shivananad Patil and M B Patil also shared their suggestions, he added.
'PM knows the issue'
“I, the chief minister and the minor irrigation minister, had urged the Union Jal Shakti minister to issue a gazette notification. I personally met the minister about five times and submitted the proposal. The matter was also brought to the prime minister’s attention. Twice, meetings of the states concerned were scheduled. Once Andhra Pradesh postponed it, and another time Maharashtra postponed it,” Shivakumar explained.
When we raised the issue again with the Union Jal Shakti minister, he reassured us not to worry, saying the meeting was postponed due to technical reasons and assured us it would be convened again. Minister M B Patil stated that earlier, Maharashtra had conveyed that they had no objections regarding the height increase of the dam, said the DyCM.
Several meetings have been held with regard to land acquisition from farmers. During Basavaraj Bommai’s tenure, a certain compensation package was fixed. However, many representatives opposed it, saying it was inadequate for farmers, and the process was halted. Recently, a meeting was held with the elected representatives, the ministers, and farmers of the Almatti area and the decision of the meeting was brought to the chief minister’s notice, he said.
'Farmers being misled'
Around 20,000 farmers have approached the court regarding compensation. Many lawyers are misleading farmers, which ultimately benefits no one. Farmers should realise this, Shivakumar cautioned.
“Our government demonstrated its commitment by announcing the dam height increase project in the state budget. This year alone, over 100 tmc of water-- and sometimes over 400 tmc-- has flowed into the sea. With the blessings of the rain god, the Almatti dam has filled up, bringing joy to everyone,” he added.