Karnataka - Bijapur   

Tikota tank-filling project to be completed in 18 months

Staff Correspondent

`Government planning to fill all minor irrigation tanks with water from rivers and reservoirs' `Government plans to fill all minor irrigation tanks with water from rivers'

BIJAPUR: The Janata Dal (S)-BJP coalition Government is planning to fill all minor irrigation tanks in the State with water from nearest rivers and reservoirs wherever such measures are necessary, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has said.

In the absence of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone for the Rs. 86.1-crore Tikota sub-package of the Rs. 202-crore minor irrigation tank-filling project here on Tuesday.

He said there were 36,000 tanks of different sizes in the State. Of this, 3,400 were under the Department of Minor Irrigation and rest were under zilla, taluk and gram panchayats. The Government planned to tap the irrigation potential of these tanks, he said.

Referring to the Tikota project, he said the tenders had already been called, and work would be entrusted on turnkey basis. Those who take up the work would be responsible for its maintenance for a period of five years. The project, which proposed to fill 16 tanks in Bijapur and eight in Jamkhandi taluk, and construction of five barrages, would be accomplished in 18 months, he said.

Loan waiver

On the confusion on loan waiver, Mr. Yediyurappa said the Government was planning to take back the land encroached upon by land grabbers in and around State capital, and auction the same. It was estimated that it would fetch the Government a revenue of Rs. 25,000 crore, a part of which would be utilised for waiving loans taken by farmers. But the measure would take time. Hence, the farmers should repay their loans taking the benefit of reduced interest rate of four per cent, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Tikota tank-filling project to be completed in 18 months

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu