Mekedatu project: Fresh DPR to be submitted to authorities at centre, says Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that a fresh Detailed Project Report on Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Project across the Cauvery river would be submitted to the authorities at the centre following the Supreme Court order calling Tamil Nadu's objection as premature.
Shivakumar, who is in charge of water resources portfolio said this after a meeting with officials and Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Board of Directors, chaired by CM Siddaramaiah.
"In the meeting, we discussed how to take the project forward post the Supreme Court order. We need to submit a fresh DPR wherein we will provide details of the forest area getting submerged. We have started the project office in Harobele and decided to open the office of Chief Engineer and CCF at Ramanagara. Required staff would be given to these offices," Shivakumar told reporters here.
Asked if a new DPR needs to be submitted to the Cauvery Water Management Authority, he said, "We will make necessary corrections and submit a fresh one. We will submit it to the authorities required as per the law."
The Supreme Court had last week rejected a plea by the Tamil Nadu government against construction of the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Project across the Cauvery river by Karnataka, terming it "premature" .
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justices K Vinod Chandran and Justice NV Anjaria said the plan would be approved only after considering the objections of the State as well as the opinion of the expert bodies, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
"At this stage, what is being done by the order passed by the CWC is only permitting the preparation of the DPR, that too after taking into consideration the objections of the State of Tamil Nadu, the experts of the CWMA and CWRC," Supreme Court's order said.
Mekedatu is a multi-purpose (drinking water and power) project proposed by Karnataka, which involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district (now renamed as Bengaluru South district).
Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project, raising apprehensions that the state would be affected if the project takes shape. The project, once completed, is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 tmcft); it also can generate 400 MW power, according to officials.
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Parents fear uncertainty after Karnataka govt rules out age limit relaxation for Class 1 admission
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has ruled out any relaxation of the minimum age limit for admission to Class 1 beginning with the academic year 2026-27. Following the refusal, a group of parents continues to press for leniency.
Parents of children who fall under the age of six by a small margin on the cut-off date have met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy to request an exemption. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will not change its decision, as reported by Deccan Herald.
According to the minister, children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to Class 1. beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. He noted that the previous relaxation was a one-time measure that was clearly confined to the 2025-26 academic year.
“If such requests are entertained every year, it will never end. While granting relaxation last year, it was explicitly stated that it applied only to one academic year. From 2026-27 onwards, the rule will be strictly implemented,” Bangarappa was quoted by DH.
Parents argue that the rigid cut-off is affecting children who are short by a few days. One parent was quoted by DH as saying that his daughter would be 12 days short of completing six years on June 1. Such parents would be forced to repeat a year despite being academically ready. Others pointed out that children promoted from LKG to UKG during the 2025-26 academic year are now facing uncertainty over their transition to Class 1.
Few parents also recalled that earlier, admissions were allowed for children aged between five years and 10 months and six years. Parents saw it as a more practical approach, with children born in November and December being disproportionately affected.
The issue of age criterion goes back to a government order issued in July 2022. The order mandated six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission. Parents of children already enrolled in pre-primary classes, protested against the order and the state deferred implementation, announcing that the rule would come into force from the 2025-26 academic year.
After renewed pressure, the government granted a one-year relaxation for 2025-26, citing the large number of students affected and in consultation with the State Education Policy Commission. While announcing the exemption, the minister had stated that no further concessions would be allowed.
