DKS promises Yettinahole water in 100 days

NT Correspondent

Hassan: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that drinking water from the first phase of Yettinahole project would be released in 100 days, adding that he had directed officials to ensure the same.

He was referring to the long pending Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project (YIDWP) that has been criticized for displacing tribal populations and ecological damage in the Western Ghats.

Shivakumar, who is also the Water Resources Minister, made the comments during his visit to the Hebbannahalli power station and Doddanagar pump house in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district.

“Water will be released from the Yettinahole project’s first phase within the next 100 days,” Shivakumar told mediapersons.

When asked about protesters who had been claiming that the project had caused damage to their houses, he said he wasn’t aware of the same, adding that he could comment on the same when he gets the relevant information.

The Deputy CM added that his hope was that 24 thousand million cubic feet (TMCF) of water could be utilized from the excess rainfall in the Malnad region and be diverted to parched districts such as Kolar.

He said that he hadn’t been happy with the pace of the project, pointing out that the project had witnessed a cost escalation from Rs 14,000 crores to Rs 24,000 crores.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar accompanied by Arsikere MLA Shivalinge Gowda and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh at the Doddanagar pump house in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district on Tuesday