Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Work on irrigation projects in State being speeded up

T.V. Sivanandan

Rs. 6,000 crores spent on various projects in the past 15 months

GULBARGA: For the first time in recent years the State Government has shown some urgency in completing pending irrigation projects and taking up new ones for the complete utilisation of the State's share of Krishna waters and for the optimal use of water available in the Cauvery basin and the west-flowing rivers.

Water Resources Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge told The Hindu that in the past 15 months the Government has spent nearly Rs. 6,000 crores on major and medium irrigation projects and created an additional irrigation potential of more than 1.10 lakh hectares.

New projects

Apart from this, the Government has begun work on 32 new irrigation projects at a cost of Rs. 4,256 crores.

A sum of Rs. 100 crores has been released for these projects during the current year, and a substantial allocation will be made in the coming years to complete these projects in time, he said.

Mr. Kharge has the responsibility of safeguarding the State's share of Krishna waters under Scheme A of the Bachawat Tribunal Award and preparing plans to use the additional water that will be allocated from the surplus by the new tribunal headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar.

Mr. Kharge said an action plan has been prepared to speed up all pending works and to take up fresh projects to utilise the State's full share of 729 tmcft under Scheme A.

Committee formed

A high-power committee has been appointed by the Government to prepare a detailed list of projects that have to be implemented to make use of the State's share of surplus Krishna waters.

The Government has, for the first time, also begun modernising the old canals of existing projects for the optimal use of water and to prevent seepage.

A detailed project report has been prepared for the modernisation of the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal of the Upper Krishna Project, the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal, and the Bhadra Canal in the first phase. The other canals will be modernised later. There is a proposal to take financial assistance from Japanese financial institutions for the purpose. There is also a proposal to approach the Centre for financial assistance under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP).

Rs. 500 crores sought

Mr. Kharge said he has been asking the Finance Ministry to allocate at least Rs. 500 crores for the modernisation of existing canals.

The Karnataka Neeravari Nigam has begun work on modernising canals under the Malaprabha Project, Mr. Kharge said and added that he has sought the allocation of additional funds for irrigation during the current year.

Nearly 80 per cent of the budgetary allocation made this year has already been used by the department.

Mr. Kharge said he has made a detailed presentation to Finance Minister P.G.R. Sindhia on the progress achieved so far on the irrigation front and the need for releasing additional funds to the Water Resources Department. Mr. Sindhia has promised to provide additional funds during the general financial appraisal in January, he added.

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