Janata Dal (Secular) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that the Union government has refused to extend financial assistance to the Extension Renovation and Modernisation of the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal (NLBC) in the Upper Krishna Project citing irregularities in its implementation.
The modernisation of the NLBC at a cost of Rs. 3,752 crore was sanctioned by the United Progressive Alliance government. The project was aimed at strengthening the existing canal and distributary network and achieving their total water carrying capacity to ensure that the water reached the tail-end farmers.
Mr. Kumaraswamy told presspersons on Friday that the Union government had told the State government that it would not fund the modernisation project in view of the irregularities in its implementation and non-utilisation of funds.
“Following the decision of the Union government, bills for Rs. 900 crore of a contractor is pending for payment…I do not have further details and I have sought the full details from the officials of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigama Ltd.”
Mr. Kumaraswamy said that he was also not aware of the irregularities in the implementation of the project.
He charged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with leading the State into a debt trap by raising a loan of Rs. 35,000 crore in the past 25 months and claimed that the amount had not been used for creating assets in the State. Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the State had done little to utilise its share of water in the Krishna as per the Brijesh Patel Tribunal award.
He said that the State government had also not initiated steps to raise the height of the Alamatti Dam across the Krishna to 524 metres which had been permitted by the tribunal. Also action had not been taken to acquire land which would submerged in the event of raising the height of the dam.
Water release
Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the government had also done nothing to persuade Maharashtra to release water from the Ujjini Dam into the Bhima to meet the drinking water requirements of towns, cities and villages on the banks of the river in Kalaburagi and Vijayapura districts. He said that the State had been deprived of its share of 15 tmcft of water from the Bhima.
The Centre has cited irregularities in its implementation and non-utilisation of funds, says Kumaraswamy
