Ivan D’Souza takes govt. to task over delay in Yettinahole project

Ivan D’Souza, a ruling Congress member, criticized the government for the delay in the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project during a speech in the Legislative Council. The project, which started 12 years ago, has not been completed despite its initial approval in July 2012. D’Souza highlighted that the project's cost has significantly increased from ₹8,323.50 crore to a projected ₹30,000 crore.

He pointed out that the project aims to divert 24.01 tmcft of water to meet the drinking water needs of several drought-hit areas, but the promised water supply has yet to materialize. The bottleneck, he argued, lies in the lack of coordination between various departments involved in planning, land acquisition, financing, and construction.

D’Souza expressed concern over the project's uncertain timeline, stating that a significant amount of expenditure has been incurred without realizing the intended benefits. The House leader, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, speaking on behalf of the Water Resources Minister, acknowledged that the project is being implemented in phases and has completed 20 out of 54 package works.

However, he emphasized that the delays are due to various approvals and land acquisition processes, assuring that the project will be completed by the end of 2027.