Yettinahole in Council: Members oppose move to reduce dam size

Several members of the Council opposed the decision of the government to reduce the capacity of Byragondlu reservoir from 10 tmc ft to 2 tmc ft, over land acquisition issues.

The move, they alleged, would not ensure water supply to Kolar district under Yettinahole project.

Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol told the House that though the capacity of the reservoir was reduced, the government would ensure that 10 tmc ft of water is harvested from the reservoir.

Land acquisition delay in Tumakuru district has hampered works on the construction of the reservoir that would hold the water pumped from Yettinahole.

There were complaints from farmers over compensation for land acquisition.

While compensation is dependent on guidance value of the land - which differs from one village to the next - farmers had demanded uniform compensation, Karjol said.

Earlier, members such as Rajendra Rajanna and S Ravi flagged the delay in the implementation of the project and argued that reducing the capacity of Byragondlu would limit the state's ability to harvest water from the project.

JD(S) member S L Bhojegowda dismissed the project as a futile exercise, arguing that water from Yettinahole would not reach Chikkaballapur and Kolar, even if the government spent Rs 50,000 crore.

Karjol noted that the government had set aside Rs 3,000 crore for the project in the budget.

Allaying concerns of members over the reduction in Byragondlu reservoir capacity, he said that a technical committee was working to ensure that 10 tmc ft of water is lifted from Yettinahole to benefit seven districts.