Karnataka - Bangalore   

Move to wind up KBJNL criticised

Special Correspondent

N. Dharam Singh

BANGALORE: The Congress on Friday criticised the State Government's move to wind up Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd., a special purpose vehicle established in 1994 to mobilise resources to fund irrigation projects in the Krishna basin.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh said the move would be detrimental to the north Karnataka region. The people of the region would oppose the proposal to wind up the Nigam, he warned.

The World Bank had funded the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) with the objective of irrigating 12 lakh acres of barren land. There were several pending projects to be executed in the Krishna basin. Out of Rs. 10,000 crore allocation required for these projects, only Rs. 8,500 crore had been spent so far, he said.

Mr. Singh said the Nigam was created by the Congress Government led by M. Veerappa Moily in 1994. Even H.D. Deve Gowda, when he was Prime Minister, had released Rs. 250 crore to the Nigam. It had to execute projects amounting to Rs. 400 crore in this financial year, he said.

Mr. Singh alleged that "based on bureaucrats' advice, the Government is moving in the direction of winding up the KBJNL. The Finance Department has mooted the proposal." The Nigam was required, as the State had to implement projects under Scheme B of the Bachawat Award. The State would be getting at least 155 tmcft of water under Scheme B.

The Centre had already set up a tribunal to adjudicate surplus Krishna waters among Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Mr. Singh appealed to Minister for Water Resources K.S. Eshwarappa to hold a meeting with legislators and MPs from the region to strengthen the Nigam and take steps to utilise its share of Krishna waters.

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

Stories in this Section

Old enough not to wear what one wants
HIV/AIDS testing centre to come up in central jail
Money grows on houses
Unauthorised houses to be regularised
A fifth of Bangalore's population lives in slums
This Rajasthan Craft Fair in the city has it all
Reward for hard work
109 gram panchayats chosen for award
I wasn't consulted on posting: Hegde
Move to wind up KBJNL criticised
Students protest bad condition of road
`Government has ignored Bangalore'
Farm policies leave much to be desired, says Dwarakinath
Kingfisher directed to pay compensation to student
Vidyananda Shenoy passes away
`Halt eviction of Dalit families'
Around the City

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