Deputy Commissioner D.K. Ravi on Tuesday expressed anguish over the practice of growing eucalyptus in the district, where the groundwater-level was already depleted.
His warning of stern action against growing eucalyptus, which is considered to be a curse for dry regions, evoked instant support by elected representatives.
Chairing a drought review meeting on the Zilla Panchayat premises here, Mr. Ravi raised the issue of eucalyptus several times. K.R. Rameshkumar, MLA, endorsed the opinion of the Deputy Commissioner and urged him to initiate action against those cultivating eucalyptus.
Both Mr. Ravi and Mr. Rameshkumar explained the adverse impact of eucalyptus on groundwater table.
Participating in the meeting, MLAs K.M. Narayanaswamy, G. Manjunath, Y. Ramakka, MLC D.S. Veeraiah, besides Mr. Rameshkumar, stressed on the need to tackle scarcity of drinking water, effectively.
A majority of the elected representatives criticised the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company for not providing power connection to borewells sunk for supplying drinking water, which triggered a heated debate.
Mr. Manjunath, MLA from Malur, sought upward revision of the rate of water purchased from private parties.
Stating that drinking water was being supplied to 103 villages in the district through tankers, Mr. Ravi said that Rs. 25 crore had been spent on supply of drinking water to rural and urban areas during 2013-14.
