The Hindu : Karnataka News : Find permanent solution to canal breaches, Govt. urged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Find permanent solution to canal breaches, Govt. urged

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MARCH 29. The ongoing Upper Krishna Project may prove an engineering and financial disaster if the Government fails to find an urgent and permanent solution to the recurring breaches in the Narayanapura Left Bank Canal (NLBC), the BJP member M.R. Tanga warned in the Legislative Council today.

Participating in the discussion on the budget, Dr. Tanga said the Government appears to have been complacent about the ongoing works in the project areas and ignoring the weak structure of the NLBC. The recurring breaches in the canal may cost the entire project if they are not attended to properly, he added.

The canal is said to be susceptible to breaches even if only 15 to 20 per cent of its water capacity is released. The Government has not bothered to look into the observations of many of its committees specifically formed to study the cause for the breaches, he alleged.

Referring to the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal, he said the 50-year-old canal has breached 110 times. Experts have suggested to the Government the construction of a parallel canal from the 0 km point to the 33 km point. The people of Raichur district, who depend on the canal for farming and other purposes, will have to pay a heavy price if the Government does not pay attention to that immediately, he said.

Tur dal price

Referring to the plight of tur dal growers on account of the fall in prices, Dr. Tanga said the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, had promised a delegation of growers from the Hyderabad Karnataka region that the Government would buy their produce through the Gulbarga-based Tur Dal Board. But the Government is yet to act on the promise.

"The tur dal growers have trusted the Chief Minister. But it appears that the words of the Chief Minister have no value in the State. I wonder who rules the State," he said.

Non-productive PSUs

Suggesting to the Government to close down non-productive public sector units, he said the State, both in terms of loans and equities, has invested over Rs. 37,000 crores in the public sector units. But the production of all the units is only Rs. 40 crores.

Praising the Centre's gender-based budgeting, the senior member urged the State Government to announce a one per cent reduction in stamp duty for women for the registration of property. Instead of showing lip sympathy for the cause of women, the Government should introduce schemes that really empower them, he added.

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