Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday that his government has a ”clear view” on the Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery related river link projects and will take all measures to secure the state water share and no compromise.
Bommai, who is in the nation’s capital for a two-day visit, also told reporters that the central government has requested the Karnataka government to discuss with relevant states before finalizing a Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her 2022-23 budget speech had proposed five river link projects in the country – Godavari-Krishna, Krishna-Pennar, Pennar-Cauvery, Dharmaganga-Pinjal and Par – Tapi-Narmada. Of these, the Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery projects are of concern in Karnataka.
Asked about the three state-related projects, the Chief Minister of Karnataka said, ”In the river link projects, our view is very clear and we will take all measures to take Karnataka’s share. ”The state government has taken the matter seriously. as Krishna and Cauvery are the main rivers which are the lifeline of the state, he said, ”We will not compromise on this issue.” Asked if the state government demanded its share of excess water, Bomai said the issue of excess water and the river connection are different.
”It connects the Himalayan and peninsular rivers. We have clarification on this. The same will be passed on,” he added.
Bommai had said at the recent meeting of the South Zone Council in Tirupati that the peninsular rivers should not be interconnected until the state’s share of surplus water is finalized.
The interconnection of Himalayan and Peninsular rivers as well as the linking of 37 interstate rivers had been mired in controversy since they were first proposed by the British in the 19th century.
(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
