S L Bhyrappa
Credit: DH Photo
Hassan: Veteran Kannada novelist S L Bhyrappa hailed from Santheshivara village in Channarayapatna taluk of the district.
The people of Santheshivara fondly remember Bhyrappa for his role in bringing a permanent drinking water project to their village. He was deeply concerned about the welfare of his village and its farmers.
At the inauguration of the project, Bhyrappa had said, “The decade-long dream of the farmers has come true. The project was implemented to provide a permanent water source for the people of my village. From this season, farmers will be able to access water from the lake. I thank everyone who cooperated in this effort.”
Farmers had been in distress for decades as the lakes in the region had dried up. Bhyrappa pursued a lift irrigation project and submitted a memorandum to then chief minister B S Yediyurappa. He also worked to secure Rs 25 crore for the project.
The project was approved during the tenure of Basavaraja Bommai as chief minister, and the funds were released under incumbent CM Siddaramaiah. Today, water has been filled into the Santheshivara lake and the Belaguli lake in Agrahara.