Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday that the replacement of the crest gates of the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir under Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) will be completed within the next 18 months.
He was speaking at the KRS in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district after offering ‘bagina’ or the traditional thanksgiving consequent to the dam attaining the full reservoir level of 124.80 feet.
Out of 136 gates, 61 gates have to be replaced under the DRIP while the rest have been replaced over the last few years in a phase-wise manner.
Mr. Bommai said that the government has released more than ₹160 crore so far for the works but the safety of the dam has been enhanced to that extent and not a single drop of water was leaking consequent to the gate replacements. The life span of the original gates was 35 years but they were utilised for 75 years and the new gates will serve to enhance the dam lifespan, said Mr. Bommai.
He recalled that condition of the crest gates when he had paid a visit to the dam as the Minister for Irrigation in 2008 and said that gunny bags were being used to plug the leakage. So a decision was taken to replace the crest gates in a systematic manner and 16 gates were replaced in the first phase and new technology for shutting on and off the gates have been adopted, said Mr.Bommai who stressed the importance of optimum maintenance of the dam and harnessing its water.
The Chief Minister, who recalled the contributions of the maharajas of Mysuru and Sir M.Visvesvaraya in the construction of the dam, also promised funds to introduce new elements to the KRS and make the garden more attractive adding that the DPR for the project would be prepared and the government was committed towards it.
Mr. Bommai said that the farmers in Mandya-Mysuru-Hassan belt would benefit from the slew of irrigation projects that will be taken up during the year. This includes the modernisation of the Visvesvaraya branch canals and taking up the sub-distribution channels of the Maddur branch canal and Sahukar Channaiah branch canal so as to ensure water supply to the farmers in the Visvesvaraya Canal command area.
Similarly, the works on Kabini Right Bank Canal and Harangi Branch Canal would be taken up during the year and ₹480 crore has been allotted for the project, Mr.Bommai added.
Mysugar
Delving at length on the reopening of the Mysugar Factory in Mandya, Mr. Bommai said that it was expected to resume operations from the second or third week of August this year and will benefit the sugarcane cultivators of the region. Additional funds for both capital expenditure and towards working capital will also be infused through financial arrangement with banks..
Minister for Irrigation Govind M. Karjol, Mandya district in-charge Minister K. Gopalaiah, Minister for Silk and Youth Empowerment K.C. Narayana Gowda, Minister for Cooperation S.T.Somashekar, MLAs M.Srinivas, D.C.Thamanna, C.S. Puttaraju, K. Annadani, Ravindra Srikantaiah, and L. Nagendra and others were present.
