Team will look into Krishnaraja Sagar dam safety, says Ashoka

MYSURU: Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Wednesday said that a team, headed by the Mandya district Deputy Commissioner, will inspect the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and submit a detailed report to the government after Mandya MP Sumalatha raised apprehensions of cracks in the dam structure.

Irrigation department officials, the Home Minister and even the Mysuru MP have clarified that there are no cracks or threats to the reservoir. But the Mandya MP has reiterated that there is damage and hence, a report on the safety of the dam is being sought, he said. Statements about cracks in the reservoir may push people living downstream into fear and cause worry for the farming community, the minister added.

Stressing that the government is against illegal mining, the minister said it will not be allowed at Baby Betta if it poses a threat to the KRS dam, which is the lifeline of the people of Mysuru, Mandya and Bengaluru. He also said action will be taken against those indulging in illegal mining, however they are influential. “For us, Krishnaraja Sagar is most important,” he added.

On Sumalatha alleging that illegal mining is carried out on revenue land, he said that the government is not against development and will not come in the way of quarries operating with valid permission. The government has launched a ‘podi’ (land document) drive across the state where Revenue Department officials visit the village and set right any lapses in records after surveying the land and help farmers get RTCs.

This will also help Lambani thandas, nomadic tribes and other villages to be declared as revenue villages and enable them to get all benefits from the government. The village visits by Deputy Commissionersis a hit and has evoked good response, he claimed.