Bengaluru water crisis: Open to accepting constructive suggestions from BJP, says Karnataka government
This was announced by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday.
Water crisis in Bengaluru: As the water crisis continues in Bengaluru, the Karnataka government on Saturday said it was open to accepting suggestions from the Opposition, especially the BJP, if they were constructive.
This was announced by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday.
While addressing the media at his residence, Shivakumar said, “The opposition parties seem to know nothing but criticism. If they make constructive suggestions, we are certainly open to considering them. For the first time in the history of the state, we have tackled the water mafia by taking over private water tankers.
“About 50 percent of the borewells in the city have dried up. We have decided to take over thousands of private water tankers to supply water from sources outside the city. We have left the pricing to officials because factors such as distance traveled determine costs. Unused milk tankers will be used to transport water,” he said.
“The media is sounding the alarm. There is indeed a crisis when large numbers of wells have dried up. We have taken steps to address this. The public should not use water wastefully for washing cars etc. People should understand the value of water. This is why we are proposing the Mekedatu project,” said Shivakumar.
Asked why the government could not get water while private water tankers were managing large supplies, he said, “Private water tankers supply water from private borewells, while the government supplies from drinking water units.”
Asked why a nodal officer had been appointed for the Bengaluru Rural constituency and not for others, Shivakumar said, “Wards under the Bengaluru Rural constituency are dependent on borewells for water.”
Earlier on Saturday, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Karnataka R Ashoka said that Bengaluru’s water crisis had tarnished the city’s image at the global level and accused the government of causing the shortage due to water from the Karnataka reservoirs to Tamil Nadu.
“An American channel has aired news asking people not to visit the city of Bengaluru. Without presenting effective arguments to the authorities, the Congress government has released water from the Karnataka reservoirs to Tamil Nadu.
“The BJP will stage a protest at Freedom Park on Monday (March 11) demanding supply of water to the people of Bengaluru. If our demands are not met, we will appeal for future course of action,” Ashoka said while addressing the media.
With summer expected to be more severe this year, as many as 7,082 villages in Karnataka and 1,193 wards, including Bengaluru urban district, are vulnerable to a drinking water crisis in the coming months, a February 10 government assessment showed. .
Meanwhile, residents of Bengaluru, expressing concern over the prevailing situation, have urged the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the apex civic body in the city, to address the water problem on priority and ensure regular water supply.
(With IANS inputs)