Leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha in Dakshina Kannada, who had been opposing the Yettinahole Water Diversion Project, are exercising caution towards the reported statement of BJP State chief B.S. Yeddyurappa that he would convince party leaders in Dakshina Kannada to allow implementation of the project.
Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha member Nalin Kumar Kateel, who is spearheading the anti-Yettinahole stir, and RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat on Wednesday said the State leadership has the onerous responsibility of convincing the people of Dakshina Kannada that the project would not snatch away their water.
Since the region had faced water shortage last year and likely to face water famine yet again, the leaders have to convince the people that the water diversion project would not dry up Netravati, the lifeline of Dakshina Kannada, they said.
Mr. Bhat told reporters here that while people of the district are not against giving water to people of parched districts, the sharing cannot be at the cost of drying up the Netravati. He said the government should explore other technical possibilities of providing water to the parched districts and added local BJP leaders too would speak to Mr. Yeddyurappa on the issue. “It is not going to be easy for him [Mr. Yeddyurappa] to convince us on the matter,” he noted.
Mr. Bhat said they would keep insisting that demands of the region for potable water are met before a similar need of other districts is addressed through Yettinahole project.
Mr. Kateel said local leaders have often conveyed to the State leadership the opposition of people of the region to the project. There is no difference of opinion within the party. Mr. Kateel said they have asked the government to prove that 24 tmc ft. water was available at Yettinahole. The party has also demanded setting up of a team to study the impact of the project and stop execution till the team submits a report.
