Bengaluru: He may have a reputation as a rough and tough politician, but Energy Minister, D K Shivakumar appears to have a soft corner for the state’s wildlife.
Not only has he adopted a pair of king cobras at the Mysuru Zoo for a lifetime to help their conservation, but is also making sure that animals in the state’s sanctuaries don’t go without drinking water this summer.
The energy minister claims that he was moved on seeing wild animals thirsting for water in the Bandipur National Park when he stayed there in a cottage during the recent Gundlupet and Nanjangud byelection campaign. Losing no time he instructed the Bandipur officials to immediately install 20 solar pumpsets in the forest using funds from his energy department.
D K Shivakumar
“The forest department has been asked to identify 20 spots in the forest to sink borewells and install solar pumpsets to help the animals. I have also asked the authorities to fill up the dry tanks immediately to provide the animals drinking water. When the department spends money on so many other things, I thought why not spend some of it to help the wild animals during summer. We will bear the entire cost not only in Bandipur but also other national parks and sanctuaries, which have a drinking water scarcity,” Mr Shivakumar told reporters here on Friday.
Digressing, he revealed that the state had received an order from the Union government to carry Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture on centrally-assisted power projects, but it had not yet taken a call on the matter.
“I may issue a circular to officials to display Mr Modi's picture on energy projects funded by the Centre,” the energy minister said.
