K'taka leaders urge Patil to ignore Maha objection on Almatti dam height

New Delhi: A delegation of Karnataka BJP leaders led by Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday met Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil here and urged him to ignore Maharashtra's objection to Karnataka's plan to increase the height of Almatti reservoir.

Emerging from the meeting, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters that Maharashtra unnecessarily opposed the state proposal to increase the height of Almatti reservoir from current 519 metres to to 524 metres as part of phase-II of the Upper Krishna Project.

As per the final order of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal, Karnataka can increase the height of the Almatti dam delegation appraised to Patil, Bommai said.

“Following Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and a group of Maharashtra MPs meeting the Union Water Resources Minister to oppose the Almatti dam height increase, a BJP delegation led by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi met Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil.

In the delegation which also comprised the Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna, we appraised Patil saying Maharashtra’s objections were politically motivated and there is no basis for it," Bommai said.

The Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal- II has approved raising the height of the Almatti dam to 524 meters. Prior to this, a joint survey by the Centre and three state governments was conducted, including a hydrological study, which concluded that raising the dam would not cause flooding in Maharashtra.

Even during the 2005 floods, the Central Water Commission stated that there would be no flooding in Sangli and Kolhapur due to the dam. Therefore, Maharashtra’s objection is unwarranted and seems to stem from ill intent, Bommai said.

The tribunal’s order is equivalent to a Supreme Court decree, and increasing the height of the Almatti dam is our right. We have clearly communicated this to the Union Minister. The Gazette notification is pending before the Supreme Court, and the government will act in accordance with the court’s order.

The Minister has assured us that nothing will be done outside the purview of the law. He urged the Karnataka government to use all its strength to ensure the Supreme Court takes up the matter for hearing at the earliest and to get the Gazette notification issued promptly.

BJP MPs including Govind Karjol, Vishweshwar Hegde Kagerii, P C Gaddigoudar, Ramesh Jigajinagi and Eranna Kadadi were in the delegation.