Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation M.B. Patil has said that the work of modernisation and widening of the 72-km Hemavati Left Bank canal from Gorur reservoir at an estimated cost of Rs. 562 crore will start in March, 2015.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of flexi-pack unit costing Rs. 25 crore on the Tumakuru Cooperative Milk Producers' Societies’ Union Ltd. here on Sunday, Mr. Patil said that the project of modernisation and widening of the Hemavati Left Bank canal would be placed before the next Cabinet meeting for approval.
After getting the approval, the tender process would be completed by February, 2015 and the work would commence in March, he said. Meanwhile, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, T.B. Jayachandra said that 22 tmcft water from Gorur dam was wastefully flowing into the sea. It was because the capacity of the canal was less.
As a result, neither Karnataka nor Tamil Nadu was getting the water. By widening the canal, its capacity would increase and help supply drinking water to drought-hit areas in Tumakuru, he said. The State government would build a dam near Mekedatu to provide drinking water to people in drought-hit districts.
Minister for Cooperation H.S. Mahadeva Prasad said that flexi pack would help store the milk for three months and therefore, it could be used for supplying milk to places which were about 250 to 300 km away.
K.N. Rajanna and Rafiq Ahmed, MLAs, were among those present.
