Not a single rupee has been released for Upper Bhadra project: Karnataka CM

Chitradurga. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that after making tall claims, the Central government has not released a single rupee for the Upper Bhadra Project.

Speaking to reporters in Chitradurga, the CM said the Central government and then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had made tall claims of declaring Upper Bhadra as a national project and releasing Rs 5,300 crore. Till date not a single rupee has been released in this regard.

The CM said, “I have written a letter to the central government in this regard.” Our minister had met the person concerned and I have also visited. Six months have passed, and nothing is moving forward.

He said he would allocate funds for the project in this year’s budget and more funds in the coming years.

The Upper Bhadra Project is one of the important irrigation projects in the state and is expected to irrigate more than one lakh hectares of land in drought-affected and dry lands in Central Karnataka.

Besides, it is also a drinking water project which will benefit lakhs of villages. The state had sent a proposal to the Central Government to declare the project as a national project.

The announcement was made by the ruling BJP in Karnataka two months before the assembly elections. Fulfilling a long-standing demand, the Central Government had declared the Upper Bhadra Scheme as a national project and announced Rs 5,300 crore for the project.

The announcement of this project was expected to strengthen support for the BJP. The then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had expressed happiness over the grant of Rs 5,300 crore announced for the Upper Bhadra Project in the Union Budget. However, the BJP suffered a humiliating defeat in the assembly elections in Karnataka and the project has come to a halt.

(IANS)