The Hindu : Karnataka News : UTP sub-canal breaches within a week of its inauguration

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Monday, Jul 19, 2010
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Karnataka

Karnataka

UTP sub-canal breaches within a week of its inauguration

Staff Correspondent

Inquiry ordered; Opposition parties blame it on poor quality work

Bommai says accumulation of silt was the reason
Samples sent for tests; further action to be taken after receipt of report

HAVERI: Barely a week after the inauguration, a sub-canal on the Upper Tunga Project (UTP) at Kudupali in Haveri district has breached, leading to accusation about poor quality of work. The breach in the canal has damaged crops in the adjacent farmlands.

Inquiry

While Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai has already ordered for an inquiry into the incident, the Opposition parties have blamed poor quality work as the reason for the breach in the sub-canal.

Mr. Bommai had said that accumulation of silt was said to be the reason for the breach and he had already asked the officials of the Agriculture Department to conduct a survey on the extent of damaged to the farmlands. Compensation would be ascertained based on it.

Meanwhile, Rudraiah, Chief Engineer of UTP has clarified that the pressure of the backwaters had resulted in the breach of the sub-canal. He told presspersons that there was a two-metre high boulder at 112 km of the canal near Kadur village, which had checked the water flow, resulting in more pressure on the backwaters.

Mr. Rudraiah said that since the villagers had objected to the blasting of the boulder since the last one year, it had remained like that.

Samples sent

Regarding allegations of poor quality of work, he said samples had been sent for testing, based on which further action would be taken. He said while one engineer had been transferred, another had been issued a show cause notice. Compensation would be paid to farmers for the damage to their crops, based on the report by the Agriculture Department, he said.

It might be recalled that last Sunday, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had dedicated a portion of the Upper Tunga Project to the nation by releasing Tunga waters into the main canal at Gajanur. Dedicating the canal, the Chief Minister had announced that the project would be completed by 2011-12.

However barely week after the inauguration, the canal breached causing damages to farmlands of hundreds of farmers.

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