Clear Mekedatu project at the earliest, Siddaramaiah tells Centre

The Centre must immediately give all the requisite clearances for the Mekedatu project. If not, the Congress party will continue its struggle for Mekedatu beyond the ongoing padayatra, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said on Sunday.

Siddaramaiah was addressing the gathering at the relaunch of ‘Namma Neeru, Namma Hakku’ (Our Water, Our Right) campaign of the Congress party for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project. The party, which had stopped its foot march in January owing to Covid-19, recommenced it from Ramanagar on Sunday.

“We need to get environment clearance for the project. Instead of taking initiative towards this, the state government is busy giving false advertisements that the Congress did not take any measures for the progress of the project,” Siddaramaiah alleged.

Urging the Centre to immediately give the necessary clearance for the project, Siddaramaiah said if the Mekedatu project was implemented, Bengaluru and surrounding regions would not have drinking water problems for the next 50-60 years.

KPCC President D K Shivakumar said that both the BJP and the JD(S) were unnecessarily taking potshots at the Congress’ efforts to materialise the project.

“Since the BJP calls itself a double engine government, it should show its gumption by getting the clearances done,” he said.

Congress General Secretary Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the only hindrance to the project was the BJP government in Karnataka which failed to take initiative to take the project forward.

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