Udupi, Jun 16: The Communist Party of Indian has slammed Siidaramaiah led Congress government for hastening to inaugurate the first phase of the Varahi Irrigation Project even though the works have not been completed.
The fact was that water was not flowing in its canal since the irrigation project was inaugurated, he said.
The first phase of the project, constructed at a cost of Rs. 600.33 crore, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Holeshankarnayana in Udupi district on May 4, about 35 years after the foundation stone was laid for it.
Mr Shetty said, as the monsoon had now started, the farmers might keep quiet. But it is up to the State government to get the work completed soon. Otherwise, the CPI(M) would launch an agitation against it, he said.
The government should also complete the second phase of the project within a time-frame, Mr Shetty said.
Meanwhile, R. Nataraju, Chief Engineer of the project, said that water was not being released now in the canal as the monsoon had hit the district. Farmers did not want the water to be released.
“If they want it, we are ready to release the water,” he said.
Mr. Nataraju, however, said that for the first 10 days after Mr. Siddaramaiah inaugurated the work, water was being released till 30th km of the Left Bank Canal. However, after that water was released only till the 23rd km.
This was because while the earth works had been completed till the 30th km, the concrete lining work had been completed till the 23rd km.
“As the monsoon has begun, the concrete lining work has stopped and we will re-start it in November,” Mr Nataraju said.
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