Bengaluru: The Hemavathi Express Link Canal Project in Karnataka’s Tumakuru is embroiled in a massive row, as protests against it continue to intensify in the district’s Gubbi town—about 92 km from Bengaluru. Several farmers, leaders and workers of BJP and JD(S), and religious seers have staged protests, seeking the scrapping of the project.
After the demonstrations turned violent over the weekend, nearly 100 protestors, including senior BJP leaders, were arrested. FIRs were filed against several of them.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said Monday that the disruptions over the project were politically motivated. He also holds the water resources portfolio and has been trying to push for the completion of the much-delayed project.
He accused the Opposition of using political play to interrupt its progress, even as a section of Congress legislators are also urging for the scrapping of the express canal project.
“What they (Opposition) are doing is politics. In the past, it was H.D. Kumaraswamy (former CM) who had sanctioned this project. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government came. (B.S.) Yediyurappa and his district incharge minister, Madhuswamy, put it on hold. The project was Rs 600 crore, and now has gone up to Rs 900-1000 crore,” he said. He added that the Opposition was trying to blackmail the state government by inviting seers to participate in the protests.
The protesters have accused the Congress-led government of trying to divert water meant for Kunigal in Tumakuru to Magadi and Ramanagara—or as it is now called, the Bengaluru South district. Shivakumar has denied the claim.
The Hemavathi project joins the growing list of big-ticket projects championed by the deputy chief minister, which are encountering obstacles. These include the ambitious Bengaluru Tunnel Road project, the Skydeck project, and the overall public infrastructure revamp in India’s IT capital.
The state government has reportedly finalised that the 250-meter tall Skydeck, meant to be one of Asia’s tallest observation decks, will come up near Kengeri on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The Rs 500 crore project has come under sharp criticism as it is being viewed as an effort to beautify the city, with persisting problems on ground, including potholes, crumbling infrastructure, and flooding.
The tunnel road project is estimated to cost around Rs 40,000 crore. According to the state government’s plan, the proposed toll for the 16.6 km-long tunnel road between Hebbal and Silk Board would be Rs 330 per trip, and the road would be open to cars—which has also invited criticism.
Shivakumar has also backed the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, which has provisions to break up the city corporation into at least seven units. However, opposition parties and residents have raised concerns, claiming that the city is increasing its area, when it can barely administer the existing parts.
The Kanakapura MLA has also been pushing for other irrigation-related projects, like Mekedatu, and increasing the height of the Alamatti dam.
After the heavy rains in May exposed the infrastructure problems in Bengaluru, Shivakumar has also been actively working to address the city’s damaged reputation. These efforts also seem to be aimed at bolstering the ‘Brand Bengaluru’ initiative, which could potentially position Shivakumar as a leader capable of resolving the city’s challenges.
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‘Only 10% of promised water reaching Kunigal’
The Hemavathi Express Canal project was sanctioned by Kumaraswamy in 2006. Also known as the Kunigal Express Link Canal or Sriranga Drinking Water Project, it was originally aimed at delivering drinking water to Magadi in Ramanagara district and Kunigal in Tumakuru.
An October 2024 report by a state-appointed technical committee had recommended supplying drinking water to Magadi and Kunigal by diverting water from the Hemavathi to Sriranga lake through a pipeline.
Shivakumar said Monday that in the last 10 years, the Hemavathi water that was promised to Kunigal Taluka has barely made it there. Not even 10 percent of the 3.3 thousand million cubic feet of water promised to Kunigal was released to the region between 2014 and 2024, he added.
He also said that Ramanagara has sufficient water, but previous agreements show that Magadi is entitled to around 0.6 thousand million cubic feet of water. Magadi MLA, H.C. Balakrishna, is a staunch supporter of Shivakumar.
Amid the protests, several protestors were booked, many of whom were farmers. R. Ashoka, leader of the opposition in the Karnataka assembly, slammed the move, saying, “Threatening farmers, instead of convincing them, is not right. All farmers should be treated equally, and cases should not be filed against religious leaders or elected representatives. Even Congress MLA Gubbi Srinivas has opposed this.”
He added that the government should call an all-party meeting over the issue, and stop further escalation.
MLA Srinivas said Monday, “I have the same opinion as the people. From the beginning, I have been demanding that this project be stopped.” He added that he had been trying to meet the deputy chief minister to ask him to scrap the project, since it would take away water from Tumakuru farmers and distribute it elsewhere.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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