CM puts Mahadayi, Kalasa-Banduri issues in PM's court

Chief Minister Siddharamaiah on Tuesday said that his efforts to seek an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi since July 27 to seek the Centre’s intervention on Mahadayi-Malaprabha river linking project and the Kalasa-Banduri Nala diversion have not yielded any results.

The chief minister told this to reporters after visiting the house of deceased farmer Gurunath Chapgavi at Badal Ankalgi village in Belagavi taluk on Tuesday to console the family members. The debt-ridden farmer had committed suicide on June 8.

“The State government has been planning to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi to highlight the plight of the farmers in the State in the prevailing drought conditions and seek the intervention of the prime minister in resolving the niggling issues between riparian States in Mahadayi and Kalasa and Banduri projects. The prime minister, however, has not given an appointment so far,” Siddaramaiah said.

With the protests demanding for the speedy implementation of the twin projects gaining steam in Mumbai-Karnataka region, the ruling Congress is under tremendous pressure to act and act fast.

The chief minister said that he had even met Union Ministers D V Sadananda Gowda and Ananthkumar and had urged them to use their good offices to get an appointment with the prime minister. “But, they are quiet on the issue,” he added.

The image of the government has taken a beating because of the spurt in farmer suicides, he said adding that suicide was no solution to the farmers’ problems.

He said, the State Government can take care of the loans availed by the farmers from the co-operative sector. But most of the farmers have borrowed from nationalised and scheduled banks which are controlled by the Union Government. Hence, the Centre should come to the farmers’ rescue, the chief minister urged.

Chief Minister siddaramaiah: Most of the farmers have taken loans from nationalised and scheduled banks which are controlled by the Union Government. Hence, the Centre should come to the farmers’ rescue