D.K. Shivakumar appeals to Centre to provide environmental clearances for Kalasa-Banduri, Mekedatu projects

‘Karnataka has reduced the forest land requirement for the Kalasa project from the original 258 hectares, which was approved in principle in 2003, to just 26.92 hectares’

Deputy Chief Minister and Major and Medium Irrigation Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday called upon Union Minister for Environment and Forest Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi and appealed to him to expedite environmental clearance for the Kalasa-Banduri and Mekedatu projects, which are crucial for fulfilling the drinking water needs of north Karnataka and Bengaluru, respectively.

He also urged the Centre to issue a gazette notification on the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II decisions for equitable water distribution between Karnataka, undivided Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

Need for collaboration

Mr. Shivakumar stressed on collaboration between the State and Central governments for successful project implementation and urged Mr. Yadav to declare the Upper Krishna Project and the Upper Bhadra Project as national projects for additional funding from the Centre.

In September, Karnataka urged the Centre to provide necessary clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to expedite the execution of the long-pending Kalasa-Banduri Nala Diversion Project. The board rejected Karnataka’s proposal to use forest land for the Kalasa project in the Western Ghats citing legal disputes between Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra related to Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal’s award, which was pending before the Supreme Court.

However, Karnataka had contested the decision of the NBWL stating that the Supreme Court does not restrain Karnataka from proceeding with the project.

Karnataka had said that the 10.68 hectares of forest land needed for the project was not part of the wildlife sanctuary but was part of the tiger corridor. Karnataka had also listed out the benefits of the project stating that it would provide a waterbody for the wildlife in the area.

Reduced requirement

“Karnataka has reduced the forest land requirement for the Kalasa project from the original 258 hectares, which was approved in principle in 2003, to just 26.92. We also reduced the forest land requirement for the Banduri project from 243 hectares to 28.44 hectares. This reflects our commitment to conservation. It is in the State’s interest that the Centre has to ensure that the project is cleared without any further delay,” the memorandum submitted to the Centre said.

Published - November 27, 2024 07:24 pm IST