People of Dandiganahalli hobli in Channarayapatna taluk started dreaming of a project to irrigate their land and put an end to their long struggle for drinking water in 1993. However, the project — sanctioned in 1994 — has not materialised yet.
The Kachenahalli Lift Irrigation Project was envisaged to lift water from the Hemavati to fill over 40 tanks located in parts of Holenarsipur, Channarayapatna and Hassan taluks. People blame “politics of hatred” and lackadaisical attitude of successive governments for the inordinate delay in completing the project.
The project was sanctioned by the M. Veerappa Moily government. The then Cabinet Minister and Holenarsipur MLA G. Puttaswamy Gowda succeeded in getting the project sanctioned.
Work on only the first phase of the project, which includes construction of a pump house, intake canal and jackwell at Kachenahalli in Holenarsipur, has been completed. The second phase work has hit a roadblock as a portion of land in Baladare village (survey no. 168) identified for constructing canals has been converted into forestland.
“It [land bearing survey no. 168] was originally grazing land. Forest Department officials planted trees in the land as part of their afforestation programme. After that, the department refused to allow canal construction on the land unless an alternative piece of land was allotted to the department to take up plantation,” said U.T. Ajje Gowda, convener of the Kachenahalli Lift Irrigation Struggle Committee.
Following repeated appeals by the committee, the Hassan district administration identified 20 acres of grazing land in Bageshpura village in Arsikere taluk for allotting to the department as an alternative land. The process of handing over the land to the Forest Department, however, has not been completed.
“This administrative matter is an easy job for our people’s representatives — H.D. Revanna and H.D. Deve Gowda, who represent us in the Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha respectively. But they are not interested in doing this because their bête noire Mr. Puttaswamy Gowda got this project sanctioned and he might get the credit if it is completed,” Mr. Ajje Gowda said. The project, with an estimated cost of Rs. 155 crore, could be completed if the people’s representatives showed interest, he added.
Drinking waterVillage residents said if the project was completed within two or three years after it was sanctioned, many villages in Dandiganahalli hobli would not have faced drought. “My parents dreamt of irrigating their land after the project was implemented. People of my generation are now hoping that at least our drinking water needs are met with this,” Nagaraj, who is in his early 30s, said.
People of Udayapura, Baladare and neighbouring villages have to travel long distances to fetch drinking water. “We don’t want anything except water. If they give us sufficient water, we will cultivate our land and pay taxes. We will never demand loan waiver or any relief package from the government,” said Srikantappa, a farmer.
Farmers staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Monday demanding early completion of the project. They also demanded that the administration hand over the alternative land to the Forest Department to allow the second phase work to continue.
Deputy Commissioner V. Anbukkumar has convened a meeting of officials and farmers’ representatives on Friday to discuss the project.
