Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will be soon travelling to New Delhi to discuss the legal hurdles in raising the height of the Almatti dam to 524 metres from 519 metres.
“I will resolve the issue after discussing with legal experts and other persons concerned,” he said at Almatti on Saturday.
“We want to resolve the Krishna river water distribution dispute. Maharashtra is a party to the dispute and we are holding talks with leaders from the neighbouring State. We have already begun discussions with Sharad Pawar, NCP leader, and Jayant Patil, Maharashtra Irrigation Minister,” the Chief Minister said.
The priority is to speed up and complete all projects under the Upper Krishna Project Phase-3, he said, adding that a detailed plan would be prepared and executed in this regard. “We will soon convene a meeting of officers and people’s representatives in the Krishna river basin districts of Vijayapura and Bagalkot to discuss the plan,” Mr. Bommai said. He was speaking after offering ‘bagina’ to the Krishna at Almatti dam.
He said the project cost of third phase schemes had increased to ₹51,000 crore from ₹17,000 crore due to the delay in implementation. Allocation of funds for the projects was a challenge, added Mr. Bommai. “We will try to raise funds from various sources. Our capacity to borrow will be assessed before raising funds,” he said.
To a query, he said the State would present a detailed proposal to the Centre, requesting it to declare the Upper Krishna Project as a project of national importance.
