Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said that the delay in the release of MNREGA funds by the Centre had not come in the way of executing works in the State and payment of wages to workers. The State government had released adequate funds from its own resources to meet the demand of MNREGA.
In a brief chat with the presspersons after inspecting the dried-up Bhima river at Kattisangavi on the outskirts of Jewargi town, he said that the State government’s release of Rs. 200 crore to meet the payment of wages to workers had saved the situation. The State government has now decided to release an additional Rs. 400 crore to clear the pending wages to workers under the MNREGA scheme, without waiting for the Centre to release funds. He said the Union government has indicated that it would be releasing the first instalment of Rs. 800 plus crore in a couple of days to the State.
Mr. Siddaramaiah told a questioner that he would personally speak to his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis and request him to release water from Ujjini Dam to tide over the severe drinking water shortage in villages and towns on the banks of the Bhima in Kalaburagi and Vijayapura. He said that the entire Bhima has dried up posing a serious drinking water shortage in number of villages and towns in the two districts.
The State government had already taken up the issue of releasing water from Ujjini Dam in the past but there was no response from Maharashtra. “If required I will visit Mumbai to meet Mr. Fadnavis and make a personal plea for the release of water from Ujjini Dam on humanitarian considerations.”
He said that the State government would also explore the possibility of releasing water from Narayanpur dam to river Bhima through the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal and Indi and Jewargi Branch Canals. The officials of the KBJNL were not receptive to the suggestion since the water released from Narayanpur Dam would have to travel 130 km and not even 20 per cent of water would reach the Bhima. “I will chair a meeting of officials of Irrigation Department and KBJNL to find ways for the release of water from Narayanpur Dam to Bhima river”.
