Minister for Excise K. Gopalaiah has instructed the Hassan district administration to take measures to ensure a regular supply of drinking water in the summer. Mr. Gopalaiah, who is also the Minister in-charge of the district held a meeting with officers in Hassan on Wednesday.
The officers should identify villages facing acute shortage of drinking water and work out plans to fulfil the demand. If necessary, fresh borewells could be drilled, he said. They should concentrate on completing the ongoing drinking water projects, including the one being implemented at a cost of ₹14 crore in Belur taluk, he said.
On the elephant menace in the district, the Minister said the government had allocated ₹100 crore for railway barricades to avoid the movement of the elephants. The officers should make efforts to get maximum funds for the district and install the barricades, he said.
Deputy Conservator of Forests K.N. Basavaraj said last year seven people died due to elephant attacks in the district. An action plan to install railway barricades at a cost of ₹49 crore had been prepared, he said.
Deputy Commissioner R. Girish said the State Government had declared Shantigrama a new taluk. Earlier, it was planned to form the new taluk with Shantigrama and Dudda hoblis. However, a new proposal had been prepared to bring in Mosale Hosahalli and Dandiganahalli hoblis in the new taluk. With that, it would get 232 villages and the population would be around 1.3 lakh, he said.
Senior officers of various departments attended the meeting.
