Centre to consider Mekedatu project positively: D K Shivakumar

New Delhi: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil has assured to discuss with his officials about the long pending Mekedatu project.

Shivakumar along with Minor Irrigation Minister N S Bosaraju and Delhi Special Representative T B Jayachandra met Paatil and discussed the state pending issues in the Jal Shakti Ministry.

Shivakumar told reporters that the Union Minister assured to hold a meeting with his officials on the Mekedatu issue and promised to revert back the Centre's view on it.

He also urged the minister to expedite the granting of central assistance to the Upper Bhadra project, early clearance to the Kalasa and Banduri Nala project.

Shivakumar said he would be visiting Vijayawada next month to hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to discuss the long pending building of the Navale Balancing Reservoir in Koppal taluk across the Tungabhadra River.

The dam is intended to compensate for the loss of water storage capacity due to silt accumulation in the Tungabhadra reservoir.

Apart from building a reservoir, other alternative proposals also came up now before the state government.

"We will present these proposals before the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and take it forward after getting their approval," he said. However he refused to disclose the details of alternative proposals.