The Hyderabad Karnataka Raitha Hitarakshana Horata Samiti charges successive governments in Karnataka with showing little or no interest in fully utilising the water resources available in the Hyderabad Karnataka region.


The Hyderabad Karnataka Raitha Hitarakshana Horata Samiti on Wednesday charged successive governments in the State with showing little or no interest in fully utilising the water resources available in the Hyderabad Karnataka region or in bringing more area under irrigation.

President of the samiti Lakshman Dasti and general secretary Lingaraj Sirgapur told presspersons here on Wednesday that so far not even 25 per cent of the targeted command area had been provided irrigation in the Hyderabad Karnataka region, and the rightful share of Karnataka in the Krishna basin was being utilised by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Mr. Dasti said the lack of political will and commitment among politicians had led to the present situation of abnormal cost escalation of irrigation projects. This had lead to inordinate delays in completing projects that have lingered on for more than three decades.

Under Scheme A of the Bachawat Tribunal Award, Mr. Dasti said, the State was allocated 734 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water. Of this, only 598 tmcft has been utilised.

He claimed that while Karnataka was dilly-dallying with its share of water, the Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh governments, after utilising their share, were working on projects to use the additional water available in the Krishna.

Mr. Dasti claimed the Government was prompt in executing irrigation projects in the Cauvery basin. "This is one of the main reasons for the economic prosperity in the south Karnataka region compared with the the Hyderabad Karnataka region," he said.

Seminar

The samiti will organise a seminar on the pending irrigation projects in the region in Gulbarga city on Thursday.