Karnataka Development Programme Review Committee at its monthly meeting here on Tuesday resolved that Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), which is laying a pipeline to provide water for industries in Bantwal taluk, should also supply water to people of nine villages en route.
KIADB is laying the pipeline from the Netravathi at Thumbe to the Information Technology Special Economic Zone (IT-SEZ) and general industrial area in Bantwal taluk. The committee decided to write to the State government to issue a direction to KIADB to this effect.
Earlier, an official from the board informed the meeting that the Chief Engineer of KIADB wrote to the Chief Executive Officer of the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat in January stating that it was not possible to supply drinking water to the nine villages en route. The villages are Phajir, Kurnad, Balepuni, Ira, Sajeepa Mooda, Boliyar, Naringana, Pavoor and Konaje.
He said that the IT SEZ was coming up on 513 acres of land at Phajir and Kairangala villages. The general industrial area was being developed on 586 acres of land at Ira, Balepuni, Chelur and Kurnad villages.
The official said that the board was laying the pipeline for supplying one MGD (million gallons per day) of water for industrial purpose. The quantity of water mentioned was required for industries. Hence, it was not possible to supply water to the villages.
The official said 75 per cent of the pipeline had been laid. The work began in 2010. The city corporation had agreed allow it to lift one MGD of water from the Netravathi in Thumbe. Executive Engineer of the panchayat S.L. Sathyanarayana said that the villages might require 0.25 MGD of water. President of the panchayat K. Koragappa Naik and vice-president Ritesh Shetty objected to the decision of KIADB. They said priority should be for supplying water for drinking purpose.
O. Srirangappa, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, said that in the second survey done in 106 villages of the district to find out disabilities caused because of spraying of endosulfan, 5,283 suspected cases had been recorded. Of them, disability to 1,907 people had been confirmed because of endosulfan. The same had been reported to the government on Monday.
Sharanabasappa, Deputy Director, Department of Food and Civil Supplies, said the authorities of oil marketing companies should clear the confusion over cooking gas supply. Responding to this, the president said that they should be invited to the next month’s meeting.
A. Shakuntala, Deputy Director, Department of Women and Child Welfare, said there were 701 underweight children in the district. Of them, 199 were in Belthangady, 141 in Bantwal, 131 in Puttur, 117 in Mangalore rural, 61 in Sullia and 52 in Mangalore city.
