Declare Bhadra Upper Canal as national project: Bommai to Jal Shakti minister

Haveri: Haveri MP and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has appealed to Union Minister of Jal Shakti CR Patil to give the approval from the National Wildlife Board for the Kalasa Banduri Nala Mahadayi Diversion Project and to declare the Bhadra Upper Canal Project as a national project.

Bommai, along with Chitradurga MP Govind Karjol met Patil in New Delhi on Thursday and submitted a memorandum on these two projects.

In the memorandum he stated that under the Kalasa Banduri project 3.90 TMC of water has been approved to cater drinking water requirements of Hubballi-Dharwad twin cities, Kundgol town and en-route villages.

“The detailed project reports of Kalasa Nala and Bandura Nala Diversion Scheme (Lift Scheme) are accepted by the Central Water Commission on December 29, 2022. Forest clearance proposals for Kalasa Nala (26.9225 Hectares) and for Bandura Nala (24.50 hectares) diversion schemes have been uploaded through Parivesh Portal of MoEF and CC and clearance are awaited,” he stated.

Also, a request for approval of the Kalasa Nala Diversion Project has been submitted to the National Wildlife Board by the State Wildlife Board. The matter was discussed and deferred at the meeting of the National Wildlife Board held on January 30, 2024.

Bommai sought the union minister to consider the appeal and grant permission for the implementation of the project.

He also requested the minister to declare the Bhadra Upper Canal Project as a national project, approve the release of ₹5,300 crores announced in last year’s central budget.

Bommai highlighted that the project aims to supply water to the drought-prone districts of Central Karnataka—Chikkamagaluru, Davangere, Chitradurga, and Tumkur.

“The project envisages lifting 17.40 TMC of water from the Tunga River to the Bhadra reservoir. In the second phase, 29.90 TMC of water would be provided from the Bhadra reservoir to irrigate 2,55,515 hectares in the four drought-prone districts,” Bommai stated in the memorandum.

He said that the main objective of this project was to provide irrigation to crops during the monsoon season and also to increase the groundwater level by filling approximately 367 tanks in drought-prone taluks. On December 16, 2020, administrative approval was granted for the revised estimated cost of Rs 21,473.67 crores, and the Technical Advisory Committee of the Water Resources Department approved Rs 16,125.48 crores on December 24, 2020. The Capital Approval Committee gave its approval on March 25, 2021, and the High-Level Monitoring Committee recommended declaring the Bhadra Upper Canal Project as a national project.

In the meeting of the Public Investment Board held on October 12, 2022, it was indicated that Rs 5,300 crores would be provided for the Bhadra Upper Canal Project. This was announced as central assistance for the project in last year’s central budget.

"I express gratitude to the central government for this. Currently, this matter is before the Union Cabinet, and it needs to be declared as a national project", Bommai said.

He said farmers in the drought-prone districts were facing water scarcity due to inadequate rainfall, and it was necessary to implement this project as soon as possible for the benefit of the farmers. The delay in declaring the Bhadra Upper Canal Project as a national project and the non-release of central funds was causing a delay in the project's implementation.

The MP said in the interest of the farmers, the Union government must release the Rs 5,300 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana- Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (PMKSY-AIBP) Scheme for the Bhadra Upper Canal Project.

“The project may kindly be funded under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana- Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (PMKSY-AIBP) Scheme or by announcing as a National Project for the benefit of farmers in the area,” Bommai added.