Declare Upper Bhadra national water project: CM

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The state government has urged the Centre to declare the Upper Bhadra project as a national project, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai disclosed on Thursday.

Talking to reporters after meeting Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi, he said the minister was also requested to hasten the process of notification of the final orders of the Krishna Waters Disputes Tribunal which had been pending for some time. Since the orders from the tribunal were just like a decree of the courts, the final notification must be notified without further delay. Shekhawat was also requested to consult Karnataka before acting on the Detailed Project Report on the proposed Godavari-Krishna and Cauvery river inter-linking. Similarly, the Union government must clear the Mekedaatu project in case it shows the green flag to the Tamil Nadu project, he said. Bommai said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had appreciated Karnataka for the management of the Covid- 19 pandemic and the precautions being taken to prevent the spread of Omicron. The Union minister also lauded the state for its vaccine drive achievements.

With regard to giving the booster dose to health workers, Mandaviya said the Union government was in the process of taking a suitable decision that would be applicable for the entire country. The Chief Minister was asked to keep a watch on people from Kerala and Tamil Nadu visiting Karnataka.

Former CMs B.S.Yediyurappa and H.D.Kumaraswamy would take a call on a possible BJP-JDS tie-up in the coming Council Polls slated to be held on December 10. In view of confusion in some districts, the matter would be dealt with by both leaders in a day or two, he added.