Karnataka - Belgaum   

Centre urged to clear Nala project

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELGAUM, SEPT. 13. A unanimous resolution to send a request to the Union Government to clear the Kalsa-Banduri Nala diversion project to ensure 7.56 tmcft of water at the Malaprabha reservoir for the drinking water and irrigational requirements of people in the command area was adopted at the Karnataka Development Programme meeting here today.

Presiding over the meeting, the district in-charge and Minister for Agriculture Marketing, Prakash B. Hukkeri, said a delegation of elected representatives would also visit New Delhi to apprise the authorities concerned of the problems faced by the farmers and residents of Hubli-Dharwad and 28 villages, besides irrigational requirements in four other districts, including Belgaum, and request them for the early clearance for the project.

Mr. Hukkeri informed the members that the Union Government had stayed what essentially was an inter-State project following objections on environmental concerns by the Goa Government.

However, the State's Water Resources Minister, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, had recently met the Union Water Resources Minister and pleaded for the speedy clearance of the project.

Yellow cards

Later, the Minister announced that he would lead a delegation of elected representatives of the district and urge the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, to reconsider the decision on withdrawal of yellow cards from poor families. He said of the 5.40 lakh families identified for distribution, only 2.59 lakh would get the cards following a government directive.

He said that the Government had released Rs. 1.76 crores towards repairs of roads in the district. The works would be taken up after the monsoon, in October.

Developing tanks

The Minister advised the authorities to prepare an action plan to develop at least one tank in every village in the district. He also asked the authorities concerned to take up desilting of the existing tanks with the objective of rejuvenating them.

Those present at the meeting included the zilla panchayat president, S.S. Doddannavar; the Deputy Commissioner, Maheshwar Rao; and the Superintendent of Police, Hemant Nimbalkar.

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