The State Government on Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that 700 villages in seven districts have been reeling under severe drinking water crisis and Rs 267.49 crore had been released to Task Forces headed by legislators to mitigate water shortage.
It said 35 taluks in nine districts have been declared drought-hit.
Replying to the debate over drinking water, which took an ugly turn last week, Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad said 700 villages in Kolar, Dharwad, Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, Bengaluru Urban, Ramanagaram, and Chickballapur had been facing drinking water shortage. Water was being supplied through 1,140 tankers to villages.
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He said the Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to utilise funds from their accounts for tackling drinking water shortage.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil said Rs 267.49 crore had been released to the Task Forces during 2014-15 of which Rs 99.07 crore had been spent. A sum of Rs 168.42 crore had remained unspent. The Task Forces headed by legislators had not been functioning effectively, Mr Patil remarked.
Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar demanded release of Rs one crore to each Assembly constituency to mitigate drinking water needs of villagers in the current year. The task forces should be made functional by empowering them to chalk out programmes, he said.
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On last Monday, the Legislative Assembly plunged into pandemonium over the drinking water crisis in the parched districts of Kolar and Chickballapur. Several Janata Dal (S) and BJP members alleged that the funds were not sanctioned to task forces and no long-term measures were planned to tackle drinking water problem and check declining ground water.