The Hindu 25.08.2009
Work on Kabini drinking water project to begin next week
Special Correspondent
| KDP review meeting held after more than nine months |
Taking stock: Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Shobha Karandlaje presiding over the KDP review meeting in Mysore on Monday.
MYSORE: The groundwork, including land acquisition, for the Kabini drinking water project has been completed and the work will commence next week.
This was disclosed at the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) review meeting held here on Monday. This was the first KDP review meeting held in over nine months. Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Shobha Karandlaje, who is also district in charge Minister, presided over the meeting.
Participating in the discussion on drinking water projects taken up by the Government, Deputy Commissioner P. Manivannan said that the project, approved by the Union Government, was taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and that the land had been handed over to the project implementing agency. “The work can start next week,” he said.
The project entails an estimated expenditure of Rs.108.91 crore and the Union Government has released Rs. 24.49 crore. The project will be implemented by the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB). The proposed head work and a water treatment plant will be located on the left bank of the Kabini near Bidargudu village, which is about 20 km from Mysore. The detailed project report (DPR) said the work will be taken up in three phases. The first phase will augment water supply by 56 million litres a day (MLD), though the project is designed to augment water supply by 184 MLD by 2039. Once completed, it will cater to the new extensions, including J.P. Nagar, Srirampura and Dattagalli.
The Minister was given an assurance that major works, including work on KSRTC bus-stand was progressing according to schedule and would be ready before the Dasara festivities. However, officials drew flak for the drinking water situation in the city. Commissioner of Mysore City Corporation K.S. Raikar said that 110 borewells out of 780 borewells used to augment water supply had become defunct. S.A. Ramadas, Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister and MLA from Krishnaraja Constituency wanted to know why there was paucity of water supply though power was being supplied for 22 hours a day in the city. Mr. Ramadas said that parts of the city did not receive water supply for two to three days and this could not be attributed to intermittent power supply.
Meanwhile, A.H. Vishwanath, MP, told the officials that he would constitute a technical committee comprising engineers to ascertain the quality of work being taken up with Union Government funding.
Earlier, Ms. Karandlaje was pulled up by the Janata Dal (Secular) MLA, Chikkamadhu, who pointed out that the KDP meeting were supposed to be held every quarter.
