The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat (ZP) on Wednesday resolved to take a delegation to the government demanding higher allocation for drinking water projects even as its chief executive officer (CEO) Thulasi Maddineni came under fire from members for her “discretion” in choosing sites to build check dams at different parts of the district.
Raising the issue on meagre allocation for drinking water works, Channappa Kotian wondered how the engineering department could set apart about Rs. 22 crore out of sanctioned Rs. 27 crore for spill-over works. Joining him, vice-president Satish Kumpala said over the years, the allocation from the governments had been decreasing — Rs. 50 crore last fiscal and Rs. 27 crore this fiscal.
While many parts of the district were reeling under acute drinking water shortage, people’s representatives were “unable to show their faces” in gram sabhas due to meagre allocation, he said. The blame should lie with the officials who do not properly update the data-base indicating failed water projects, resulting in an impression in the government that the district did not face any water shortage, he alleged.
President Asha Thimmappa Gowda said a delegation of at least 10 members would soon meet Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H.K. Patil to demand more funds for drinking water projects.
Check dams
Earlier, Mr. Kotian took objections to Ms. Maddineni’s statement that she had inspected a few places to examine the construction of check dams under the National Rural Drinking Water Project and would submit a proposal soon. He questioned the fate of the proposals submitted by ZP members and wanted to know who was the supreme authority — the CEO or the Panchayat Council — to allocate the Rs. 2.7 crore meant for the project.
B.S. Mamatha Gatty urged the CEO to visit each and every village in the district and get to know the ground realities. “Aren’t there streams in every constituency to build check dams,” she asked. Ms. Maddineni said the funds did not come under the council’s allocation powers. However, president Ms. Gowda, upon the insistence of the members, resolved that each constituency would get a check dam.
The CEO told the council that she had sent a proposal to the government to exempt owners of properties up to 10 cents from getting Forms 9 and 11A for developing the property.
