Patil seeks Rs 550 cr for new reservoir in Vijayapura
MB Patil seeks Rs 550 cr for Tubachi-Babaleshwar reservoir, meets Shivakumar ahead of Vijayapura Cabinet meet; CM denies rift in Congress.
ANI
.jpg)
BENGALURU, 3 JULY
Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil
met Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday to discuss preparations for
the upcoming Cabinet meeting in Vijayapura and to seek approval for a key
irrigation project.
Patil submitted a memorandum requesting Rs 550 crore
for constructing a 0.775 TMC reservoir near Babanagar under the
Tubachi-Babaleshwar Lift Irrigation Scheme. The project aims to provide
year-round water for agriculture, drinking, and livestock in water-scarce
regions such as Babaleshwar, Tikota, Jamakhandi, and Athani. Currently, around
1.3 lakh acres—60 per cent under horticulture—are supported by the scheme, but
face shortages during summer.
He proposed using 434 acres of available government
land for the reservoir, expressing hope for a positive response from the Water
Resources Department, which is overseen by Shivakumar.
The meeting also touched on land acquisition for the
proposed Aerospace and Defence Park near Devanahalli, where Patil emphasised
fair compensation for farmers.
Amid speculation of internal discord, Patil and
Shivakumar reaffirmed party unity, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed
BJP’s claims of a rift as “lies”. He assured that the Congress government would
complete its full five-year term and clarified that divisional cabinet
meetings, including the one in Vijayapura, are part of regular governance
outreach.
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *