Vijayapura district in-charger Minister M.B. Patil has said that Minister of State for Tourism Priyank Kharge has granted Rs. 8 crore to the district for reviving and restoring the ancient underground water system Karez.
Chairing a review meeting here on Wednesday, he said that the Karez of Vijayapura was one of the best underground water supply systems in the world developed during the Adil Shahi era.
“Experts believe that if the ancient project is restored, then it would get easily qualified for securing UNESCO’s heritage tag,” he said.
The Minister instructed Deputy Commissioner K.B. Shivakumar to seek the help of Aga Khan Foundation and a retired ASI official in preparing a detailed project report for getting UNESCO’s heritage tag for the ancient Adil Shahi monuments of the city.
With regard to reviving and cleaning the ancient Bawadi (open wells) in the city, he said that he has getting various agencies to take up at least five ancient Bawadis for cleaning under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme.
He instructed the Bijapur Development Authority to take up draining work at the ancient moat behind Gagan Mahal as it contains filthy water. “We have a plan to start boating facility in the moat,” he said.
