Don’t Reduce Bairagondlu Reservoir Capacity, K Sudhakar Tells Karnataka Government

Bengaluru: MP K Sudhakar has urged the Karnataka government not to drop the proposed Bairagondlu reservoir from the Yettinahole project, stressing that its original storage capacity of 6 TMC should be retained.

At a review meeting with officials of Visvesvaraya Jala Nigama, Sudhakar called for speeding up the project to ensure timely water supply to Chikkaballapura, Kolar and Bengaluru Rural districts. He also sought early completion of land acquisition and clearance of pending payments to contractors to avoid delays.

Sudhakar said reducing the reservoir’s capacity to 1.6-1.8 TMC at Lakkenahalli in Doddaballapura, instead of the originally proposed 6 TMC, would be unjust to farmers in the three districts.

The project envisages distributing 24.1 TMC of water across various districts. However, only 7-8 TMC has been available over the past two years, he said, calling for a scientific assessment of water allocation.

He also suggested assigning land acquisition responsibilities to the assistant commissioner instead of appointing a special officer. Sudhakar urged the government to release the required funds and expedite the project.