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Nethravati diversion: NRSA told to submit report by June next

Special Correspondent

Government decides to clear dues of the agency

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

High-level meet: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy (centre), Union Minister of State for Shipping K.H. Muniyappa (right), Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha K. Rahman Khan (second from right), Union Minister of State for Planning M.V. Rajasekharan and Minister for Water Resources K.S. Eshwarappa (left) at a meeting on the Nethravati river diversion project, in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: The State Government on Wednesday decided to clear Rs. 6.5 crore due to the Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) for undertaking the survey on the proposed Nethravati river diversion project.

This was announced by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy after a meeting with Union and State Ministers, MPs and MLAs of districts that will benefit from the project. The Government has only cleared Rs. 2.5 crore to NRSA. He said the dues would be cleared in two or three days and the agency has been asked to submit the survey report by June/July, 2008.

Elected representatives from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have opposed the project saying it would cause drinking water problem during summer.

The Chief Minister said a final decision on the project would be taken after NRSA submitted the report.

The Government proposed the project to divert 149 tmcft of water from the Nethravati, Seetha river catchment area and Yennehole catchment areas to some taluks of Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Tumkur, Hassan, Mandya and Kolar districts.

At the meeting, the Government faced embarrassment when a NRSA representative stated that it had not submitted the final survey report as the Government had not cleared the dues. The Chief Ministerfaced some tough questions from Congress MLAs and MLCs. Realising the presence of the media, he asked the reporters to leave the meeting hall. In 2003, the Government signed a pact with NRSA for undertaking a survey on the project and the estimated cost was Rs. 15.6 crore.

The G.S. Paramashivaiah Committee report on diverting the west-flowing rivers to drought-prone districts of the State was submitted to the Government in 2001. In 2004, Mr. Paramashivaiah submitted a Master Plan to the Government on three irrigation projects.

Elected representatives of the drought-prone districts of Kolar, Tumkur, Bangalore Rural and Hassan have been demanding the Chief Minister to expedite the process of executing the project. The meeting was attended by Water Resources Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, Agriculture Minister Bandeppa Kashempur, Union Minister of State for Planning M.V. Rajasekharan, Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa, top officials of the Irrigation and Finance departments, besides Chief Secretary P.B. Mahishi.

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