Fill Baagur lake with Hemavathy water, villagers urge minister

The villagers of Baagur, here, on Wednesday urged Water Resources Minister M B Patil to take measures to fill Baaguru lake.

The minister, along with MLAs C N Balakrishna and M A Goplaswamy, visited the village to review the works on the Baagur-Navile tunnel. The villagers said, they were struggling to get water for both drinking and agriculture purposes.

“So, the minister should take measures to release water to the lake from Baagur-Navile canal. The minister should also take steps to fill lakes across the taluk from Hemavathy Left Bank Canal (HLBC),” they said.

Patil said, efforts will be made to fill 12 lakes from the HLBC. “Water will be released from Baagur-Navile canal to 19 lakes and the State government has sanctioned Rs 34 crore for the purpose. The authorities have already prepared a detailed report and have submitted it to the water board for approval,” he added.

The minister said, owing to the land acquisition process, Nuggenahalli water project was delayed. A team of officials has been formed to conduct a survey, he said.

Patil said, a team has been constituted to check the quality of works on the HLBC.

If the works are substandard, stringent action will be taken against the contractor, the minister said.

Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Managing Director Chikkarayappa and other officers were present.