Several organisations led by Indian water conservationist and film actor Chetan Kumar Wednesday raised objections against the Karnataka government’s move to build the Mekedatu reservoir.
In a press meet, Chetan said that the Mekedatu project is not in the interest of the public or environment but “only for political and economic gains of vested interests”. “This project is nothing but political propaganda but it is going to cost the citizens as it will not only displace many poor people but also will cause harm to the environment,” said Chetan.
Rajendra Singh, a prominent water conservationist, who was also in the press conference, said, “This project is not sustainable and it is important for the government to rethink the plan. A community-driven decentralised model can be the only sustainable step to address the water woes of Bengaluru and a dam built with thousands of crores is not a solution. It is just going to help political parties.”
The press meet came after the BJP-led Karnataka government allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the Mekedatu project during the Budget. The Congress also held a march demanding implementation of the project.
Chetan said, “The government should focus on replenishing eco-friendly water sources. The government should focus on reviving the lakes, replenishing underground water, implementing rainwater harvesting systems at a larger scale and also upgrading sewage water treatment plants. But building a dam is just going to increase the carbon emission and is going to affect many lives.”
Speaking about his recent arrest over a tweet against a Karnataka High Court judge who is hearing cases related to the hijab row, Chetan said, “Norms were ignored while arresting me. My tweet did not carry any derogatory word and everyone has the right to question. If that was a problem, it could have been discussed or asked in a different way. But they charged me with Sections 505 (2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).”
“It was just a tactic to scare me but I will never stop to question. I am ready to go to jail once again. A gunman was provided to me after the Gauri Lankesh murder case but now the police have taken it back. I have requested them to deploy a gunman again,” he added.
According to a feasibility report prepared in 2013 by the then government headed by Siddaramaiah, the reservoir would come up on an area of 5,252 hectare, including 1,869 hectare of reserve forest land. It would have a storage capacity of 67.16 thousand million cubic feet (TMCF) of water, of which 4.75 TMCF would be supplied to the state capital and its surrounding areas. The project, estimated to cost Rs 5,000 crore at the time, would also generate 400 Megawatt hydroelectric power according to the feasibility report. But by now, the project cost has increased to Rs 9,000 crore.