Zilla Panchayat polls: Officials promise water, villagers decide to vote in Belur

Hassan: Residents, who boycotted the gram panchayat elections demanding water supply in Belur, Halebeedu and Javagal hoblis of Hassan, are now inclined to vote in the ZP-TP polls having received a satisfactory response from the officials on tackling their water woes.

Owing to the earlier boycott, 115 seats went uncontested in Hassan and a majority of these seats were in Halebeedu and Javagali hoblis. The boycott of the gram panchayat elections was a unanimous decision of residents backed by leaders of different parties including Congress, BJP, JD(S) and Raitha Sangha, to draw the attention of the officials to drinking water woes in the region.

“We have decided to participate in the ZP-TP polls in the region since our demand for starting work on Madihalli-Halebeedu Lift Irrigation project by drawing water from river Yagachi canal, has been met. The work had not received forest clearance from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, now that clearance has been given, residents will participate in the polls,” said Basavaraj, a BJP nominee contesting TP election from Adagoor.

According to Basavaraj, the lift irrigation project when completed would cater to the drinking needs of residents of 20 villages surrounding Adagoor. A JD(S) leader, Lingesh, told DC on Sunday that residents had demanded that Belur taluk be covered under Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water project passing through the taluk. Belur was earlier left out and owing to the poll boycott, tanks in Belur taluk would be covered under Yettinahole project now. Mr Lingesh said they have demanded that 30 tanks in the taluk be filled-up using water from Yettinahole project and officials of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited and Minister for Irrigation M.B. Patil have given a satisfactory reply.