Bengaluru, 2 June

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar slammed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for objecting to increasing the height of the Almatti dam. He called upon Union Ministers and MPs from Karnataka to safeguard the State’s interests.

“Fadnavis had written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on 9 May raising objections to increasing the height of Almatti dam. Stating that Sangli and Kolhapur districts would face flooding if the height of the dam is raised, the letter has asked us to re-evaluate the plan,” Shivakumar, who also holds the Irrigation portfolio, said at Vidhana Soudha. “This letter is a shock to us. Maharashtra had not raised any issues when the Tribunal passed its judgement in 2010.”

Shivakumar said increasing the height was the State’s right. “As per the Krishna Tribunal’s order, Karnataka can increase the height of Almatti dam to 524m.

“Almatti project is needed for the State but we don’t want friction with our neighbour. The cost escalation is due to the delay in this project. We would need Rs 1 lakh crore for land acquisition,” he said.

Hemavathi link canal violence

Shivakumar also condemned the violence over the Hemavathi link canal project, where at least 13 FIRs were registered, including against Opposition MLAs.  He called it a "political stunt".

The protest on 31 May saw the participation of Opposition leaders and farmer groups. Locals are concerned that the Rs 1,000 crore project would threaten the water supply to Tumakuru's agricultural heartland by rerouting the water elsewhere.

“I will reveal at the right time what the blackmail and demands of these protesters are,” Shivakumar said. “It is a lie that Hemavathi water is being diverted to Bengaluru South…This project is specifically for the benefit of Kunigal taluk, which has received just 3.3 TMC of its rightful share…. When Tumakuru receives water from Krishna and Cauvery, why deny Hemavathi water to Kunigal?” -Salar News with Agencies