Karnataka didn’t take back Rs 10 crore given for Tungabhadra dam gate work: Minister

Koppal: District In-charge Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi clarified on Monday that the government had not taken back Rs 10 crore released for the work to instal new crest gates for the Tungabhadra reservoir.

Tangadagi, who is also the chairman of the irrigation consultative committee, was addressing a press conference here. 

He was reacting to dam construction expert Kannayya Naidu’s recent statement that the Karnataka government had taken back Rs 10 crore through book adjustment. 

“Let those who claimed that Karnataka had taken back the money provide documents to prove the charge. The Tungabhadra Board gets money paid by the Tungabhadra riparian states as their share, from the Centre. Payments are made using that money every year via book adjustment. Karnataka has released an amount of Rs 10 crore to the Board,” the minister said. 

It’s possible that Kannayya Naidu has no proper information in this regard, Tangadagi said. 

The minister asserted that the work on replacing all 33 crest gates of the Tungabhadra dam would be completed within the stipulated time, promising that farmers downstream would face no problems with regard to release of water for irrigation.