Kolar, Oct 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday criticised the Karnataka government over delays in implementing the Yettinahole drinking water project, alleging that the people of Kolar and Chikkaballapur had repeatedly been given assurances without visible progress.
Speaking to the media in Mulbagal, Kumaraswamy said he stood by his earlier position that the government would not be able to provide Yettinahole water to Kolar and Chikkaballapur within the promised timelines.
He alleged that residents of the two districts had repeatedly been told that water would arrive soon, but the project continued to face delays.
Kumaraswamy said laying pipelines alone would not solve the problem unless there was a reliable system to transport and store water.
He argued that merely laying pipelines without ensuring water supply amounted to expenditure without achieving the intended objective.
The Union Minister recalled being present at the foundation-stone laying ceremony for the project in 2013-14 in Chikkaballapur in the presence of the Adichunchanagiri Mahaswamiji.
He said he had raised concerns at the time regarding the feasibility of ensuring water supply to Kolar.
Kumaraswamy said that the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had assured people that water would reach even the farthest parts of Kolar within one or two years.
He claimed that more than 12 years had passed since that assurance and alleged that the project had still not progressed as envisaged.
He also raised questions regarding the proposed reservoir component of the project.
According to Kumaraswamy, the government had initially proposed a reservoir near Devarayanadurga with a storage capacity of 10 TMC, which was subsequently reduced to 5 TMC and later to 2 TMC.
He said there was still a lack of clarity regarding the issue and noted that fresh timelines continued to be announced.
Referring to repeated deadlines, Kumaraswamy alleged that the project was becoming synonymous with delays.
He also accused the state government of lacking transparency in various departments and alleged that governance priorities were misplaced.
Commenting on drought-relief measures, Kumaraswamy questioned how many farmers had actually received the Rs 2,500 relief announced by the state government.
He alleged that since Siddaramaiah returned as Chief Minister for a second term, public discourse had largely centred on political power-sharing and leadership issues.
The Union Minister also questioned the government's claims regarding the impact of its guarantee schemes on people's economic well-being.
Referring to visits by Central teams to drought-affected areas, he claimed that farmers continued to face hardships and migration for employment.
Kumaraswamy alleged that while relief announcements had been made, there was insufficient clarity regarding the number of beneficiaries who had actually received assistance.
He also criticised Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's Vision 2037 and Vision 2047 initiatives, questioning the availability of resources to implement them.
The Minister alleged that proposals for integrated townships could lead to an increase in land values without adequately addressing local concerns.
Referring to township proposals, Kumaraswamy recalled that similar proposals made during his tenure had attracted criticism.
He questioned the extent of investment and employment generation achieved in Kolar and Chikkaballapur and raised concerns regarding local employment opportunities.
The Union Minister also questioned plans for an industrial corridor in KGF and sought clarity on water availability for such projects.
Kumaraswamy further criticised claims regarding Bengaluru's transformation, arguing that several basic civic and administrative issues remained unresolved.
He also referred to an earlier promise to construct one lakh houses during Siddaramaiah's first tenure and questioned the number of houses completed.
The Minister similarly questioned the implementation of a recent announcement regarding housing for 50,000 workers.
On milk prices, Kumaraswamy said he did not oppose increasing support to dairy farmers but argued that the entire burden should not be passed on to consumers.
He suggested increasing the incentive paid to milk producers from Rs 5 to Rs 10 per litre and described the proposal as a possible “sixth guarantee”.
According to Kumaraswamy, direct incentives to milk producers would be preferable to increasing retail milk prices for consumers.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz