K C Valley Project: JD(S) MLA shows bottle with discoloured water in K'taka Assembly
Bengaluru, Mar 10 (PTI): Demanding tertiary treatment of water under the K C Valley project that pumps treated sewage water from Bengaluru to lakes in drought-prone Kolar and Chikkaballapura districts, JD(S) MLA Samruddhi Manjunath on Tuesday displayed a bottle containing discoloured water in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
He accused the Congress government of supplying impure water to Kolar and Chikkaballapura, and alleged, "You are poisoning our children."
Responding to the MLA during the question hour, Minor Irrigation Minister N S Boseraju said that the project was planned only for secondary treatment to improve groundwater tables.
The groundwater table that had gone to 1,500 feet, has now improved following this project and water is now available at 250-300 feet, he said, adding that the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is regularly giving reports regarding the quality of water.
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Intervening, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda hit out at the JD(S) MLA of playing politics over the issue, and said the Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley project has been appreciated by UN and World Bank officials.
The IISc, which is the country's premier institution, does test every three months. The government was ready to accept recommendations by any "genuine" scientific institutions, on further improving the project, he said.
Food & Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa, who hails from the region, suggested the government convene a meeting of legislators from Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts, as well as experts from the IISc, and other institutions involved, aimed at addressing the concerns and to provide clarity.
The project is aimed at filling up tanks with secondary-treated water, he said, clarifying that for drinking water projects, tertiary treatment is required.
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108 Naxals surrender in Chhattisgarh
New Delhi (PTI): In a remarkable success of the government's fight against Naxalism, 108 hardened Maoists carrying a cumulative reward of Rs 3.95 crore on their heads surrendered in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, officials said.
Thirty-seven Maoists from Bijapur, 30 in Dantewada, 18 in Sukma, 16 in Bastar, four in Narayanpur and three in Kanker -- all from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee -- have laid down their arms before the forces, they said.
Among the surrendered guerrillas, six were divisional commanders carrying a reward of eight lakh each, officials said.
Security forces have also seized a huge pile of arms based on the information shared by the surrendered Maoists, they added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, for the complete removal of Naxalism from the country.
