Hassan: The Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for stage-1 of Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project is underway in 23 villages of Sakleshpur taluk which is crucial for authorities to initiate the land acquisition process.
Project proponent, Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) has started laying pipelines in private land after obtaining the consent of landowners. Yettinahole project which was initiated in the west flowing streams of Sakleshpur, is aimed at supplying water to drought prone areas of Tumakauru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Ramnagara and Bengaluru Rural districts.
The Social Impact Assessment by Technical Consultancy Services Organisation of Karnataka (TESCOK), Bengaluru began on July 15 and will be over by January 15 next year, said an official in Hassan adding that the SIA will cover houses in 23 villages falling under stage-1 of the project. It will collect data such as number of members in each family, their income levels and savings among other details.
The report of the SIA then will be forwarded to the state government where it will be analyzed by members of an expert committee. If the expert committee finds the data okay, then the officials concerned will start the land acquisition. In case, the Expert Committee finds the SIA report detrimental to the environment, people and their livelihood, then, the land acquisition process cannot go on. For Yettinahole stage-1, officials need about 629 acres in the villages of Devihalli, Donigal, Kadagarahalli, Heggadde and Aluvalli.
For the civil work on Yettinahole to start in Sakleshpur, a tripartite agreement between land owners, KNNL and the agency designated for civil work of the project, has been signed in which the land owner has to give in writing that he has no right over the land.
