The State government will send an all-party delegation to Goa to explore the possibilities of an early settlement to the protracted row over sharing the Mahadayi Basin waters. But the government is awaiting a positive response from the Goa government to its letter seeking an appointment for bilateral dialogue, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said.
The government has filled an interim application in the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal seeking an interim award for 7 tmcft of water to the State.
Addressing a large gathering here after laying the foundation stone for the Rs. 544-crore Veerabhadreshwar Lift Irrigation Scheme and various development works in Ramdurg taluk on Monday, he said that his government accorded top priority to the irrigation sector to boost agrarian economy and economic empowerment of farmers.
He described the set of development works being taken up in Ramdurg taluk as a New Year gift. He was all praise for the government’s Chief Whip and Ramdurg MLA Ashok M. Pattan for obtaining sanction for such important development works worth Rs. 1,000 crore, in all. He also assured that the other long-pending proposals such as the Basaveshwar and Salapur lift irrigation projects would be taken up for discussion on priority basis considering the State’s financial position.
The Chief Minister was running behind schedule by over three-and-a-half hours and was the only speaker on the occasion. Though he was in hurry to return to attend an important meeting in Bengaluru, said that of the 165 pre-poll promises made to the people of the State, more than 100 had been implemented and the remaining would be fulfilled soon. “This is your (people) government; it (government) is true to its words and promises made to you,” he asserted.
Mr. Siddaramaiah unveiled the statue of Sangolli Rayanna in Chinchanur village of Ramdurg taluk during the day.
Earlier, Minister for Water Resources M.B. Patil reassured that the government was committed to providing budgetary allocations (Rs. 50,000 crore) to expeditiously complete all irrigation projects in the State during its term. Of the allocations, Rs. 33,000 crore have been allocated so far, he said.
Cabinet members S.R. Patil, H.K. Patil, Qamar-ul-Islam, H.C. Mahadevappa and Satish L. Jarkiholi, and Prakash B. Hukkeri, MP, Suresh C. Angadi, MP, Congress legislators and senior leaders were present.
