BENGALURU: With pressure mounting on his government to – come what may – implement the Mekedatu drinking water project on the Cauvery river, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said he will soon convene an all-party meeting to decide on how to proceed. Tamil Nadu has opposed the project.
Following a message from Gajendra Singh Shekawat, Union jal shakti minister, that the Centre can do nothing more than mediate talks between the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Bommai has been caught off guard, especially since he announced a Rs 1,000 crore allocation for the project in his maiden budget last week.
In Hubballi on Sunday, Bommai admitted he was “informed” of the Centre’s stand and will soon call an all-party meeting on the issue. “I am yet to finalise the date [for the meeting],” Bommai said. “We will discuss and collect suggestions of all parties on how to approach the issue. ” He said he will then lead a delegation to Delhi to meet Shekawat and press for the Centre’s support.
A preliminary effort to this end is said to have been made by Govind Karjol, state water resources minister, on Sunday in Shahpur, Yadgir district, where Shekawat inaugurated a squad room for the Upper Krishna project (UKP). Karjol later accompanied the Union minister to Hyderabad as well.
Timid Approach
However, opposition functionaries have criticised the government for its timid approach on the issue. DK Shivakumarpresident of the state Congress unit, attacked Bommai for being unable to secure approval for the project from the jal shakti minister.
“If the CM cannot get the project cleared, then what is the purpose of this doubleengine government?” said Shivakumar. “CM Bommai should either be brave enough to get the project sanctioned or resign and go home. ”
Former CM and JD(S) floor leader HD Kumaraswamy blamed both BJP and Congress for having ruined the state’s chances of getting the project sanctioned earlier.
“The BJP allocates Rs 1,000 crore for the project and then its own government at the Centre says it cannot help, except to mediate,” he said. “Congress on the other hand conducts a padayatra in a bid to cover-up its past failure to get the project sanctioned. Both these national parties have no intent of getting the project cleared and are politicising the issue. ”
Following a message from Gajendra Singh Shekawat, Union jal shakti minister, that the Centre can do nothing more than mediate talks between the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Bommai has been caught off guard, especially since he announced a Rs 1,000 crore allocation for the project in his maiden budget last week.
In Hubballi on Sunday, Bommai admitted he was “informed” of the Centre’s stand and will soon call an all-party meeting on the issue. “I am yet to finalise the date [for the meeting],” Bommai said. “We will discuss and collect suggestions of all parties on how to approach the issue. ” He said he will then lead a delegation to Delhi to meet Shekawat and press for the Centre’s support.
A preliminary effort to this end is said to have been made by Govind Karjol, state water resources minister, on Sunday in Shahpur, Yadgir district, where Shekawat inaugurated a squad room for the Upper Krishna project (UKP). Karjol later accompanied the Union minister to Hyderabad as well.
Timid Approach
However, opposition functionaries have criticised the government for its timid approach on the issue. DK Shivakumarpresident of the state Congress unit, attacked Bommai for being unable to secure approval for the project from the jal shakti minister.
“If the CM cannot get the project cleared, then what is the purpose of this doubleengine government?” said Shivakumar. “CM Bommai should either be brave enough to get the project sanctioned or resign and go home. ”
Former CM and JD(S) floor leader HD Kumaraswamy blamed both BJP and Congress for having ruined the state’s chances of getting the project sanctioned earlier.
“The BJP allocates Rs 1,000 crore for the project and then its own government at the Centre says it cannot help, except to mediate,” he said. “Congress on the other hand conducts a padayatra in a bid to cover-up its past failure to get the project sanctioned. Both these national parties have no intent of getting the project cleared and are politicising the issue. ”