JD(S) legislators on Thursday took out a march from Vidhana Soudha to Raj Bhavan protesting against the Centre's apathy towards irrigation and drinking water projects in Karnataka.
Speaking to mediapersons after meeting Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot, JD(S) Legislature Party leader H D Kumaraswamy said the party had submitted a representation to the President of India, through the Raj Bhavan.
The representation stated that there has been an inordinate delay in issuing gazette notification of Upper Krishna and the Kalasa-Banduri projects. Also, even though Karnataka prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project at the behest of the Union government, it has failed to take the project forward, it said.
"The Centre asked us to prepare a DPR for the project and then has kept the project in cold storage bowing to pressure from Tamil Nadu," Kumaraswamy said, stressing that the Mekedatu project was also a solution for addressing drinking water woes of Bengaluru.
The party, in its representation, has urged the Centre to intervene and resolve the pending issues pertaining to these water projects, Kumaraswamy said. Led by party supremo H D Deve Gowda, JD(S) leaders would soon seek an appointment to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind, he added.
'Karnataka now has Janata Dal govt'
With the BJP appointing Basavaraj Bommai as the chief minister, Karnataka now has a Janata Dal government, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy quipped. "I am feeling like there's a Janata Dal Chief Minister. He was part of the Janata Parivar before and even to this day he is a good friend and a well wisher," he said.
Taking a dig at the BJP national leadership, Kumaraswamy hoped that the Centre would cooperate with Bommai, unlike how it treated former chief minister B S Yediyurappa.
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