Bengaluru, Sep 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has urged Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil to expedite the appraisal and clearance of the Rs 16,745-crore Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Drinking Water Project, stating that timely decisions were essential to meet the state’s drinking water, irrigation and drought-mitigation requirements.
Shivakumar personally handed over a letter to Patil at his residence in New Delhi on Monday, seeking the Centre’s intervention on several pending water resource projects and clearances.
On Mekedatu, the Chief Minister sought early appraisal of the project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the Central Water Commission (CWC). Karnataka submitted the DPR, along with its compliance report, to the CWC on August 13, 2026, for appraisal.
He said the state had been pursuing the matter with the CWC and requested that the appraisal be completed on priority.
On the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) Award, Shivakumar sought urgent action from the Ministry of Jal Shakti to move and implead itself before the Supreme Court and seek early publication of the award in the Gazette.
He noted that the matter came up before the Supreme Court on September 23 and was posted along with pending civil appeals for November 4, 2026. Early notification of the award, he said, would enable Karnataka to utilise its allocated share of water and take up associated irrigation projects.
The Chief Minister also sought Central assistance for the Upper Bhadra Project, whose revised cost of Rs 21,167.93 crore was appraised at the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Advisory Committee meeting on March 20, 2026.
He requested the Union Minister to recommend to the 16th Finance Commission that the project be included under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and that Central assistance be released at the earliest, as announced in the Union Budget 2023-24.
Karnataka has also submitted proposals under PMKSY and the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FBMAP) covering irrigation development, modernisation, flood mitigation and other water-management interventions.
Shivakumar requested the Centre to direct the CWC to complete their appraisal and accord the necessary clearances.
On the Godavari-Cauvery Link and Bedti-Varada (Hirevadatti) Link projects, Karnataka has conveyed its in-principle concurrence to the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) for signing the Memorandum of Agreement, subject to certain considerations.
The state has sought a review of its proposed share and urged the NWDA to ensure an equitable allocation comparable with that proposed for other beneficiary states, taking into account Karnataka’s requirements in the Krishna and Cauvery basins.
Shivakumar urged the Ministry of Jal Shakti, CWC and NWDA to examine the issues on priority and take necessary action for their early resolution, stating that the projects were important for the long-term development of irrigation and drinking water facilities in Karnataka.
Source: IANS
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