‘Don’t stop water projects’, says Kumaraswamy

Belgaum: Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has urged the Maharashtra and Goa governments not to place obstacles in the way of the Kalsa-Banduri project as the delay in its execution was drastically pushing up its cost.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Janata Dal (S) leader said it was unfair of these states to object to a project like Kalsa-Banduri when it could provide drinking water to backward regions of Karnataka. With the Congress being in power at the Centre, the state government must persuade it to clear the obstacles in the way of its implementation, he insisted.

“Diversion of 7.5 tmc of water to Malaprabha under the Kalsa-Banduri project has been the dream of the people of Hubli-Dharwad, Navalgund, Naragund and adjoining areas as this will solve their drinking water problem. The project which took off when I was CM in 2006 was expected to be completed by 2014,” he recalled, hoping that the team from the Centre which is expected to visit the project on November 30 will find a way to resolve the problems.

Coming down hard on the government for failing to resolve the sugarcane crisis, he said although it had announced a support price of Rs 2500 per tonne of cane , the sugar factories seemed unwilling to give in.