From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Mar 9: With 50% of borewells in Bengaluru having dried up, the city is facing severe drinking water problem and the Congress government has taken over the private water tanker mafia to help the citizens, said Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday.
“BJP is free to launch its agitation on the water shortage in the city if it can solve the problem,’’ he said while speaking to media persons near his residence.
Shivakumar, who is also Water Resources and Bengaluru Development Minister, said BJP has no other work except criticising the government.
“If BJP comes up with any constructive suggestions, we are ready to accept,’’ he said and made it clear that the government will not bother about the politically motivated attacks.
He said there is problem in the Cauvery drinking water supply and as many as 110 villages in the Bengaluru suburbs will get Cauvery water supply by end of May as the work on the pipeline is expedited.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the question of fixing rates for water supply through tankers from far off places is left to the discretion of the officials.
Empty and unused milk tankers are also used for supplying water besides taking over the private water tanker mafia, who was fleecing the citizens by charging exorbitant rates, he said.
He urged the people not to use water to wash vehicles and used treated water for gardens instead of using drinking water. It is the duty of all citizens to save and prevent misuse of water, he said.
Shivakumar said the BJP leaders, who are more vocal now and attacking the government, should have supported the agitation and demand for Mekedatu balancing reservoir as it would have come handy. What prevented the BJP to prevail upon their own government in Delhi to clear the Mekedatu project, he asked.
Shivakumar said the government has appointed nodal officers to handle the water crisis in the Bengaluru rural areas, which is mainly depending on borewells. Nodal officers are also being appointed to solve the problems in the city.
The drinking water crisis is likely to persist for another 3 to 4 months and it is necessary to economise use of water, which is a precious commodity.
Cong 2nd list after March 11
Shivakumar, who is also heading the KPCC, said the party has already selected its Lok Sabha candidates for 7 out of the 28 seats in the State.
The second Congress list of candidates will be released by the patty high command after March 11.
The Deputy Chief Minister ridiculed JDS leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who headed the Congress-JDS coalition government, for his sudden love for former BJP chief minister B S Yediyurappa and other BJP leaders, who had toppled the government.
Kumaraswamy is embracing Yediyurappa, C P Yogeshwar, Munirathna, R Ashok and other BJP leaders, who played a key role in toppling the coalition government. “We considered the coalition government as our government, while Kumaraswamy is now busy embracing the same people, who pulled down his regime,’’ he said.
To a question on BJP recommending the Mysuru erstwhile royal family heir Yaduveer Odeyar for the Mysuru Lok Sabha seat, he said: “Let BJP choose anybody. We go by persons wedded to our ideology, policies and programmes in selecting candidates. Our goal is winning the maximum number of seats from the State,’’ he added.