JOIN US Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the Yettinahole project cannot fail.“The project, which is being undertaken to quench the thirst of drought-prone areas of Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts, has been prepared after obtaining opinion from technical experts on the pros and cons of the project,” said Siddaramaiah.He was speaking to mediapersons at Mangalore International Airport on Thursday.
In response to the apprehensions raised by activists who are opposing the project about the availability water at the Yettinahole, he said that more than 24 tmcft of water is available at the Yettinahole. “Only excess rainwater, during the monsoons, will be lifted for supply to the parched regions. Activists in Dakshina Kannada, who are opposing the project, are misinformed. The project will not have any impact on Dakshina Kannada district as the Yettinahole project is not a river-diversion project,” he clarified.
He said the government is non-committal on time-bound commitment on the completion of the Yettinahole drinking water project as it is a huge project costing around Rs 13,000 crore. The Yettinahole Corporation would be established soon, as announced in the budget for the optimum utilisation of water in Yettinahole and other sources.
An expert committee has been constituted to submit a report on alternate sources water to mitigate water shortage. It will explore other water sources, including River Sharavathi, to meet the requirements of citizens in arid regions.
The chief minister said he is ready to hold talks in Bengaluru with the activists who are opposing the project at any given time by the activists. “The state government is effectively tackling the drought-situation in the affected areas,” he added. When asked, he said Ministers Ramalinga Reddy and D K Shivakumar are on foreign tour, but not on government expenses. It was their personal tour, he said.
Airport exit road
The chief minister later inaugurated the 1.125-km long exit road of Mangalore International Airport (MIA). The KRDCL executed the project at an estimated cost of Rs 11.46 crore. The work on the exit road was started in February 2014 after closing the old exit road. The old exit road was narrow and riddled with curves.