Ready to facilitate talks between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu on Mekedatu: Union Jal Shakti Minister
Bengaluru, Mar 5: Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday said the Centre is ready to facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project across the Cauvery river.
The minister was in the city for the southern states' conclave on the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' and 'Swachh Bharat Mission' (Rural) Projects.
"We are in the process of doing that...I can't assure you how long it will take as consensus has to be built," Shekhawat said in response to a question whether the Centre would make the two states sit together regarding Mekedatu.
"By sitting together, any sort of problem can be addressed. I wish all stakeholder states can sit together and address the issue so that this year onward the new Mekedatu project can see the light of day, he said.
Citing Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as an example for resolving water disputes through talks, the minister said both states have agreed on providing water to the fields of water-parched Bundelkhand area and linkage of the Ken-Betwa rivers.
Hoping that the Mekedatu project is implemented, he did not want to talk much on the matter, as it is sub-judice.
Expressing his government's commitment to the Mekedatu project by getting required clearances from the appropriate authority of central government, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the budget presented by him on Friday, has provided a grant of Rs 1,000 crore in the current year for implementation of the project.
The Mekedatu multi-purpose (drinking and power) project involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district. Neighboring Tamil Nadu is opposed to the project, while Karnataka awaits central clearances.
The estimated Rs 9,000 crore project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 TMC) and it can also generate 400 MW power.
Karnataka has maintained that the project within its territory will benefit both states as the surplus water stored can be managed between the two during a distress year, and its implementation will in no way affect the interests of Tamil Nadu's farming communities, as there will be no impact on its share of water.
However, the neighbouring state is of the view that the project would impound and divert" the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub-basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagara, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub-basins besides other small streams.
Congress in Karnataka had recently held a padayatra' (foot march), demanding implementation of the Mekedatu project at the earliest, stating that it is a drinking water project with no legal hurdles.
Blaming Congress for inter-state water disputes, Shekhawat said they have no moral right to question the BJP, which can only resolve such issues, including Mekedatu.
However, he pointed out that water is a state subject and states have to come together and solve issues. "....technically, we can and are ready to facilitate states by making them sit together."
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
