Yettinahole project: Congress to pay price in poll?

Mangaluru/Hassan: The Congress is likely to face an uphill battle in Dakshina Kannada district in the forthcoming Zilla and Taluk Panchayat elections, as a consequence of the controversial Yettinahole and Nethravati diversion project.

Congress leaders agree that the issue is likely to impact the party and benefit BJP as elected representatives and party leaders have failed miserably to stand by the people and raise their concerns before the government. “Yettinahole would certainly be the main issue in the forthcoming ZP-TP elections. It will definitely turn into a ‘Waterloo’ for the party. Though the Congress is ruling in the state,  our leaders and ministers have failed miserably to stand by the people, this issue will harm the prospects of the party,” a senior Congress leader told Deccan Chronicle.

“The concerns of the people have not been redressed by our ministers or MLAs. They have failed to raise this issue before the government. The fact that the Central government listens to Goa and not Karnataka on the Kalasa-Banduri project shows that pressure plays a major role. (Goa has two BJP MPs and Karnataka has 17 BJP MPs.) Our leaders should have pressurized the state government to stop the Yettinahole project which they failed to do,” he said.

“People are angry with us. The BJP, our political opponent, will naturally take advantage. Thus in the ZP-TP election we are likely to lose votes because of the Yettinahole project,” he added.

BJP leader and ZP former president Koragappa Naik too feels that Yettinahole would be a major issue in the election. “Even the most interior villages in the district are concerned about Nethravati diversion. People are angry with the Congress for not opposing the project. BJP is likely to benefit from the issue,” he agreed.

“Though BJP had started the project, people are angry with the Congress as it is now ruling the state. Naturally people’s anger will turn against the Congress,” activist M.G. Hegde feels. Further people feel the Congress government has shown extra interest in the project and is imposing it on the people of DK district and not listening to their problems. They are also annoyed as none of the Congress MLAs and Ministers have raised their voice against the project.

KNNL MD says residents of Dakshina Kannada misled on water project

In a bid to overcome opposition to the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project in Dakshina Kannada, project proponent-Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) is hard at work convincing the general public of the benefits of the project. Advertising campaigns and meetings are being conducted throughout DK to highlight the fact that Yettinahole will in no way affect Dakshina Kannada.

The fears among residents of Dakshina Kannada is that river Nethravathi, a  main drinking water source, would be diverted under the Yettinahole project are unwarranted, said Rudraiah, Managing Director of KNNL while speaking to Deccan Chronicle on Tuesday, He added that residents are misled by activists who are saying that the entire river Netravathi would be diverted.

Mr Rudraiah said that KNNL would only divert 24 TMC of water from the river Netravathi basin out of 400 TMC under Yettinahole project and that the river would not suffer in any way. Further, the MD pointed out that this year, there had been deficient rainfall which resulted in loss of about 100 TMC of water in Netravathi basin. “Has it affected the coastal district?” he asked. “It is residents of Sakleshpur in Hassan who will have to sacrifice their land for the project and not Dakshina Kannada.”

Rs 1,180 crore goes into the pipes for water project

Officials of (KKNL) Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited implementing the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project have spent nearly 80 per cent of the Rs 1,180 crore allocated for the project on manufacturing pipes and laying pipelines along the project route. The total project cost has been revised from about Rs 8,000 crore to about Rs 12,900 crore after the Detailed Project Report (DPR).  

A senior KNNL official said, “Work commenced on the project six months ago. Most of the money has been spent on pipe manufacturing and laying pipelines. Pipes have been manufactured according to the needs of the project and these pipes come in different sizes to suit a particular work.”

Asked about the project cost swelling from Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 12,900, a top official explained, “Earlier, line estimation was done and after the Detailed Project Report, the project cost stands at Rs 12,900 crore. Earlier, we did not have much demand for water under the project but later on residents started to place demands asking for water along the route of the project. We gave in to their demands and brought places along the route under the ambit of the Yettinahole project.”

Top KNNL official said, the project passes through Tumakuru and earlier, the pipeline was to go through about 500 hectares of forest area in Devarayanadurga. Later, the pipeline route was deviated.