Date:29/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/29/stories/2008102951180300.htm

Karnataka

Water for crops to be provided till November 10

Staff Correspondent

DAVANGERE: S.A. Ravindranath, Agriculture Minister and Davangere district in-charge, has promised farmers of the Bhadra achcut (Davangere division) that water will be given till November 10 so that standing paddy and other crops are not affected.

After touring many villages in Harihar, Davangere and Harpanahalli taluks here on Tuesday, the Minister said he would ask the Command Area Development Authority (CADA) of the Bhadra reservoir not to stop supply of water in the Bhadra canals by October 30 as decided earlier. The Minister, accompanied by senior Irrigation Department officials, said giving water to paddy fields till November 10 was essential to protect standing crops. In order to undertake the remaining work on the modernisation of the canals, CADA had decided to stop supplying water to the canals by October end. The farmers of Davangere, Harihar and other surrounding areas of the Bhadra achacut had protested against the decision, and demanded that water be supplied till November end. The farmers had threatened CADA and the Government with serious agitations and also said that CADA and the Government would be responsible if farmers lost crop owing to water shortage.

Personal assessments

In the wake of the farmers’ protest, the Minister toured villages where paddy and other crops were grown and made personal assessments. Mr. Ravindranath, who was assisted by officials of the Agriculture Department, concluded that the standing crops needed water at least for next 15 days and hence decided to ask CADA to supply water till November 10. The Minister also told the agencies that were given the contract of modernising the canals, to be prepared by November 15 for work. He told them to begin work from November 15 and said the modernisation should be completed by January 1, 2009.

He asked the agencies to be prepared with their workforce and materials.

He also told them that action would be taken against them if quality work was not carried out.

Efforts to modernise the canals had been initiated one-and-a-half years ago and projects worth Rs. 760 crore are yet to be carried out.

The projects have to be staggered as farmers require water off and on for their crops.

He said he along with other elected representatives and senior officers would continuously monitor the project.