Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed confidence that modernisation of canals in the Cauvery basin of the State would be completed in two years.
He was speaking after offering ‘bagina’ or thanksgiving at the Kabini reservoir at Beechanahalli in H.D. Kote taluk, about 50 km from here, on Sunday. The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues.
The reservoir is filled to the brim following heavy rain in the catchment area in Wayanad in Kerala. The inflow into the reservoir was at 22,500 cusecs and the reservoir has a gross storage capacity of 19.52 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet.
The Chief Minister said the State government had taken up modernisation of canals and allotted Rs. 1,800 crore for the purpose in the last budget and all the works would be completed within two years. “Modernisation of canals will help prevent seepage besides benefiting farmers in the tail-end region of the canals,” he added.
Though earlier governments had allocated funds ranging from Rs. 200 crore to Rs. 300 crore, that was inadequate to take up all the works, but the Congress government this time had given emphasis on modernisation of irrigation canals, said the Chief Minister. Taraka, Kabini right and left bank canals, Nugu, Hulahalli and Ramapura canals are being modernised in the Kabini command area.
Local officials were cautioned to be wary of substandard works and warned that they would be held responsible if civil works lacked quality.
This is the first dam in the State to attain its full-reservoir level (FRL) of 2,284 feet during the current year.
A customary practice to offer thanksgiving, initiated by the then Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao in the 1980s, was confined to the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS). It is, however, being followed at most important dams when they attain the FRL.
Expressing happiness over the uniform spread of the monsoon, the Chief Minister said it was for the first time in 12 years that the Kabini has attained FRL as early as June though it was normal for the dam to be full to the brim during July. Revenue Minister V. Srinivas Prasad, Minister for Cooperation H.S. Mahadev Prasad, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, Chamarajanagar MP Dhruvanarayan and other elected representatives were present.
