Karnataka: Will Yettinahole project go the Upper Bhadra way?
The project may miss deadlines and cross the initial cost estimates
HASSAN: The Yettinahole drinking water project, an inter-basin water diversion proposal, may miss deadlines and cross the initial cost estimates, on the lines of the Upper Bhadra Project, warned activists protesting against the Yettinahole project.
The Upper Bhadra Project (UBP), launched by the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL) in 2007-08, was scheduled to be completed in five years. But even after eight years, the project is still being executed, while the costs have gone up from Rs 5,985 crore (as estimated in 2007-08) to Rs 12,340 crore (2015).
Once completed, UBP will lift water from Tunga river to the Bhadra reservoir and supply it to Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga and Tumakuru districts through a tunnel at Ajjampura in Chikkamagaluru. The project is aimed at meeting the irrigational and drinking water needs of these districts.
KNNL attributes the delay to clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, which has to give the approvals because of project’s proximity to the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, and hurdles in land acquisition since 2010.
A senior KNNL official said, “We hope to complete the project in four years, provided we get clearances from the union ministry, and the land acquisition process goes on smoothly.” Mr Devanand, president of Upper Bhadra Horata Samiti – which has been protesting against the project, said, “The success of the project is still not known as it requires large amounts of power to lift water at every stage.”
Demanding that the Yettinahole project in Hassan should be stopped, Mr Somashekar, a petitioner challenging the project before the National Green Tribunal, said that the cost of the project has already gone up from Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 12,900 crore. Clearances from the Union Environment Ministry and hurdles in acquiring land would definitely delay the project, he warned.
KNNL Managing Director Rudraiah said that the Nigama has already applied for the clearance from the ministry and that farmers have agreed to part with their lands.