Karnataka Urges Centre to Approve Funds for Key Water Projects

Quick Summary:

• Karnataka’s petitions to Center: Karnataka has urged the Centre to approve three major water projects – Yettinahole, Kalasa-Banduri (drinking water projects), and Upper Bhadra (irrigation project) – along with notifying the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II award. The State plans to engage all its MPs for support before the Monsoon session of Parliament.
• Yettinahole challenges: Forestland acquisition issues have delayed progress on this Western Ghats project.Karnataka has proposed substituting forestland with revenue land and cleared objections related to soil dumping; the Surroundings Ministry promised clearance after reviewing technical difficulties.
• Kalasa-Banduri dispute: Goa opposed this drinking water project due to river-sharing concerns. Karnataka asserts Goa’s objections hold no merit, citing recent court rulings supporting tender issuance for construction.
• Upper Bhadra funding stalemate: Though the Union Budget allocated ₹5,300 crore, funds under PMKSY-AIBP remain unreleased. This ₹21,473-crore irrigation initiative intends to serve four arid districts of Chikkamagaluru,Chitradurga,Tumakuru,and Davangere by irrigating 2.25 lakh hectares.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

The issues highlighted in Karnataka’s engagement with central ministries underscore challenges in balancing environmental conservation, regional river disputes, and infrastructure development needs for both drinking water and irrigation projects. While clearances for yettinahole reveal complexities in reconciling forestland use with developmental goals-a dilemma faced across states-the need for cooperative federalism emerges as paramount in resolving inter-state disagreements like Goa’s opposition to Kalasa-Banduri.

For upper Bhadra’s funding delay despite budget allocation signals administrative bottlenecks that could affect food security prospects linked directly to irrigated land productivity in drought-prone regions.

If these hurdles are resolved effectively through open dialog and decisive action at institutional levels (including central tribunals), notable state-level economic resilience can be enhanced while addressing critical governance challenges tied closely with resources management policies.

Read more: The Hindu