In a scathing attack on previous regimes, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said Friday that money had been swindled in the name of water projects, while reiterating that he still had reservations over the Yettinahole drinking water project.
Kumaraswamy, during an interaction with DH, was responding to a question that works on the Yettinahole project was underway despite him having termed it as a money-making scheme when he was in the opposition.
“Money has been made in water projects. I don't want that to happen under my watch,” Kumaraswamy said. “I can’t say some things openly. I had reservations about the Yettinahole project and I still do. There’s a need for more clarity on how much water we will actually get,” he added.
The Yettinahole project aims to supply drinking water to districts of Hassan, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Bengaluru Rural from the Yettinahole river water, which would otherwise drain into the Arabian Sea, at a cost of Rs 12,912 crore.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy came to his father, JD(S) supremo, H D Deve Gowda’s defence even as he is accused of denying share in the Hemavathi river water to Tumakuru. Hemavathi is a tributary of Cauvery.
“Those criticizing (my father) should know that it was he who protested releasing the water to Tamil Nadu when S Nijalingappa was the CM. If it wasn’t for Deve Gowda, there’d no Hemavathi water at all,” Kumaraswamy said.
Deve Gowda is contesting from the Tumkur Lok Sabha seat.