Karnataka Deputy CM urges Centre to approve Mekedatu project, release pending funds for irrigation
Bengaluru, Feb 18 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday urged the Centre to grant approvals for the Mekedatu project and release pending funds for various irrigation projects in the state.
He was speaking at the All India State Water Ministers’ Conference 2025, themed ‘India@2047–A Water-Secure Nation’, held in Udaipur.
"The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti must instruct the Central Water Commission to grant approval for the Mekedatu project on a priority basis," Shivakumar, who holds the Irrigation portfolio said.
"This project will help Karnataka release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the specified monthly quantum. Additionally, the project will generate 400 MW of power and fulfill Bengaluru’s drinking water needs," he added.
According to Shivakumar, the Centre had announced a grant of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project in the 2023-24 budget, yet the amount has not been released.
"I appeal to the union government to release funds for the project as it caters to the drought-affected Central Karnataka region," he was quoted as saying in a statement, issued by the minister's office.
Shivakumar also appealed to the Ministry of Jal Shakti to move the Supreme Court by applying for the modification of its order dated September 16, 2011, and to take consequential steps for the Gazette Notification of the Award of the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT-II) which was pronounced in 2010, to enable Karnataka to make use of its allocated share.
"I also request the Jal Shakti Ministry to impress upon the Ministry of Environment to direct the National Board for Wildlife to grant the requisite clearances for the Kalasa Nala scheme, related to the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal, which pronounced its award in August 2018," he added.
The minister also appealed to the National Water Development Agency to revisit the State-wise provisions related to the Godavari-Cauvery Link Project under the Interlinking of Rivers Scheme for irrigation water use and to allocate Karnataka its rightful share based on the ‘principle of equity and equitable apportionment’.
He pointed out that the current allocation proposed for Karnataka stands at a meagre 15.891 TMC (10.74 per cent).
"Our country has 18 per cent of the world’s population but only 4 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves. This mismatch will create significant challenges in the future, and we must be prepared to meet the water demands of our growing cities and agricultural needs," he cautioned.
Noting that India currently has a water storage capacity of 253 billion cubic meters, Shivakumar said, "Our country needs to strengthen its water resource capabilities to ensure robust economic growth."
"We are already witnessing serious competition for water among different consumer segments," he added.
Highlighting Karnataka’s strides in water resource reforms, he said, "Karnataka has implemented many reforms in the water resource sector. In August 2024, we amended the Karnataka Irrigation Act 1965, to prevent illegal tapping of water and ensure that water reaches the tail end of canals."
He added, "The amendment also includes provisions for establishing an Irrigation Court. It delegates civil court-like powers to irrigation officers to conduct inquiries and enforce laws more effectively. Further, it allows for the formation of a task force with the police for better enforcement."
Shivakumar suggested that to facilitate water security and the optimal utilisation of the country’s water resources for health, food, energy, the environment and other societal needs, several steps need to be taken.
"Firstly, there is a need to consolidate existing legislation or formulate new legislation covering the entire water sector. Currently, there are 29 different laws, including 14 central acts and 15 state-level acts," he urged.
The minister stressed the need to establish new administrative bodies with the requisite mandates, powers, authority, staff and resources.
"There is also a need to restructure and reorganise government departments and agencies, along with the necessary institutional alignments and capacity building. The current times demand the development and adoption of new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in terms of approaches, methodologies, techno-managerial aspects, tools and practices to streamline processes," he said.
Also, Shivakumar appealed to the Union Jal Shakti Minister to address Karnataka’s demands on priority.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
