Maharashtra's objection on Alamatti dam height is baseless: Minister MB Patil
Bengaluru, Aug 1 (PTI): Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil on Friday dismissed Maharashtra's claim that raising the height of the Alamatti dam on the Krishna river would cause floods in Sangli and Kolhapur districts.
Asserting that this argument has already been rejected by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal, the Supreme Court, and even in the Lok Sabha, he termed Maharashtra's objection as "politically motivated".
The Minister was reacting to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting the Union government to stop Karnataka from raising the height of Almatti Dam on the Krishna river, saying it would worsen the floods in southern Maharashtra's Sangli and Kolhapur districts.
Fadnavis has written a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil in this regard.
"Sangli and surrounding regions in Maharashtra witnessed severe floods in 1964, 1976, 1994 and 1997 — all before the construction of the Alamatti dam. Moreover, as early as the year 2000, the Supreme Court had ruled that Karnataka is entitled to raise the height of the dam to 524.256 metres," Patil, who had served as the Water Resources Minister in the past, said.
He further pointed out that Maharashtra had raised the matter again in 2005 before the Krishna Water Tribunal, which also rejected the claim.
"The Tribunal, in its detailed reports of 2010 and 2013, clearly stated that the Alamatti dam was not responsible for floods in Sangli and Kolhapur. It even considered the impact of the Hipparagi dam in this context but found no basis for Maharashtra's claim. No state has challenged the verdict of the second Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal constituted to examine such matters," he said in a statement.
Noting that even the erstwhile unified Andhra Pradesh had once opposed the raising of Alamatti's height, claiming it would affect its share of water, Patil said that, too, was dismissed.
"Maharashtra's current objection is politically motivated. Having served as Water Resources Minister for five years, I have complete clarity on the issue," he said.
Claiming that rampant encroachment on catchment areas in Sangli district was a more credible reason for flooding and that he possessed a report on the matter, the Minister urged the Maharashtra government to focus on resolving such issues rather than obstructing Karnataka's development initiatives.
He also stated that he would hand over all relevant documents to the current Karnataka Water Resources Minister and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar. "Our state will give a befitting reply to Maharashtra's objections," he added.
Stating that the Water Resources Minister will respond to Maharashtra's objections, Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters, protecting Karnataka's interest was important, and increasing the height of the Alamatti dam would help Karnataka store its share of water.
The government will take all necessary measures to protect the state's interest and stress this before the Centre and other states, he said.
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PM Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Expo, interacts with startups
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo here featuring over 600 high-potential startups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem.
He also interacted with startups participating in the expo.
The prime minister visited various stalls and spoke with the companies participating in the expo. He was seen asking questions from company representatives to better understand what they are showcasing.
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The prime minister spent several minutes at various stalls while interacting with the representatives.
The Expo brings together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, central and state governments and international partners.
Spread across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres, the Expo brings together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, Union ministries, state governments and international partners.
The Expo also features 13 country pavilions, showcasing international collaboration in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem. These include pavilions from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and Africa.
The Expo will host over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations, structured across three thematic chakras -- people, planet and progress.
In addition, the Expo will feature over 600 high-potential startups, many of them building globally relevant and population-scale solutions. These startups will demonstrate working solutions that are already deployed in real-world settings.
