Addressing mediapersons here on Tuesday, Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa said emphasis has been laid on desilting lakes, afforestation, canal encroachment clearance, constructing new canals, and conserving water sources to revive water bodies in three years. To solve drinking water problem in the district it is important to formulate programmes like lifting water from rivers to facilitate implementation of permanent irrigation facilities for the district, Muniyappa said.
The project aims at the judicious utilisation of water with available resources, he said.
Chief Minister Yeddyurappa has agreed to grant Rs five crore each to Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts for the drinking water supply projects, he said.
Responding to a media report about the doubling the Kolar-Chikkaballapur railway line, he said the budget had no such proposal. New projects would be initiated after the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh governments agreed to co-operate. Two new routes between Kolar and Bangalore has been granted in the budget. The White Field-Kolar-Mulbagal-Nagali-Chittor and Chikkaballapur-Chintamani-Srinivaspur-Madanapalli-Kolar routes will be sanctioned, he said.
A survey of the Chikkaballapur-Puttaparti route had been approved. Construction of the Kadapa -Kolar line will be taken up shortly. The State government had agreed to grant a sum of Rs 29 crore in its budget, he said.
Former Minister Nissar Ahmed, District Congress President N S Bisse Gowda, Venkatamuniyappa, T Nagaraj, Mohammed Akram and others were present.
DH News Service