Bengaluru: Former Speaker and Congress leader Ramesh Kumar has expressed his apprehension that the mini-hydel project lobby in the Yetthinahole region might be behind the anti-Yetthinahole agitation.
Intervening when former chief minister Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy was speaking on the lathicharge on farmers in Bengaluru, Mr Ramesh Kumar questioned the competence of an IISc professor, who had raised doubts about the availability of water at Yetthinahole, which was in contravention of a report on the subject given by IISc. Mr Kumaraswamy said that there were apprehensions in the minds of people about Yetthinahole project itself.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) says that there was no proper data on availability of water, while the Central Water Commission has said it had to depend on water availability at Bantwal. Mr Kumaraswamy quoted the report by the IISc professor, which said availability of water will not be more than 9 tmc ft. Mr Ramesh Kumar intervened and questioned the competence of the IISC professor, Dr Ramachandra Rao in conducting an independent study. “When IISc has given a report on availability of water, Dr Rao should get out of the organisation and make these studies. He is not authorized to do this,'' he said. He said there was a chain of mini-hydel projects sanctioned in the Shiradi stretch. The projects have not been assured water by the government. He suspected that the mini-hydel project lobby was trying to block the project, so that they get water.
