Yes for Yettinahole, but expert's report in limbo

Demand to flow water to dists from W Ghats is growing shriller

While M Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Corporate Affairs - also the MP from Chikkaballapur - and State Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai are saying that the Yettinahole project would be implemented at the earliest, they have made it amply clear that it would take time for implementing the recommendations in the report of irrigation expert G S Paramashivaiah.

A number of organisations have been fighting for the implementation of the project on a priority basis, including holding a bundh in the district. “The project involves flowing water from the Western Ghats to these districts. Once the Yettinahole project is implemented, it can provide only 25 TMC of water to only the urban areas. That will not be sufficient to quench the thirst of the entire district,” said a leader of the agitation committee for permanent irrigation.

Says G V Srirama Reddy, the secretary of the district unit of the CPM: “People of Dakshina Kannada will not easily agree to spare water for these drought-prone districts as per the Paramashivaiah report. There have for long been views pro and against this. Instead of making this aspect public, Moily and Bommai are saying that implementing the recommendations in the report of irrigation expert G S Paramashivaiah is difficult. By giving excuses, they are trying to divert the people’s attention.”

Meanwhile, leaders of the district agitation committee for permanent irrigation have decided to open an office in Bangalore so that it helps them mount pressure on the government. The committee members are holding discussions with the Union and State ministers in this regard.

 The CPM and other organisations have decided to launch a severe agitation in February to press for the implementation of the Paramashivaiah
report.