Bengaluru: The state Cabinet may have cleared the recycling of water at the picturesque Jog Falls to make them perennial and an even greater tourism attraction, but the ambitious project has many hurdles to pass before it can come to fruition.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge said the onus was on the developer as the state government had not promised any concessions.
“Mr N.R. Shetty, living in Abu Dhabi, came forward to execute the project at Jog. He got the National Projects Clearance Committee (NPCC)’s okay for the Detailed Project Report and submitted it to the government. The Cabinet then agreed to allow the company to go ahead with it,” he said.
But now Mr Shetty will have to get clearance from the ministry of environment and forests as downstream of the Jog Falls is heavily wooded. Also, the Karnataka Power Corporation, which generates power from the falls, has laid down many terms for its transformation and the tourism department too has its own set of conditions, according to the minister.
“The promoters are not looking for any profit from the project and so intend to collect only a nominal entry fee from visitors, which will have to be worked out by the Jog Development Authority,” he added, explaining that the project was modelled on a fountain.
“Large pipes will be installed under the falls to pump the water back after the monsoon. The water will be re-circulated and not stored. The technology is, however, not as simple as the one used for a fountain, but a lot more sophisticated,'' the minister said.
First conceived by the present Revenue Minister, Kagodu Thimmappa, when he was Health Minister in the S M Krishna government, the project aims to develop Jog Falls into a world famous tourism destination.
