The Karnataka government has approved funding of ₹394 crore for 13 irrigation works, including the Shimsha branch canal, the VC canal network in Mandya and modernisation of the Kabini canal system, according to a report by Prajavani citing the state Water Resources Department.
The approvals were discussed at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. The projects fall under the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam and cover canal construction, network-related works and modernisation of existing irrigation infrastructure. The report did not provide a project-wise allocation or individual implementation schedule for the 13 works.
The decision places canal systems in the Cauvery basin at the centre of the state’s latest irrigation spending. The Shimsha branch canal and the VC canal network in Mandya are among the works identified for funding, while the Kabini canal modernisation project is intended to upgrade an existing irrigation system. The available report did not specify the length of the canal stretches, the command area served or the expected completion dates.
The meeting also reviewed the Mekedatu project. Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy told the meeting that all doubts related to the project had been resolved, according to Prajavani. He said directions would be issued within the week on providing compensatory land for the 5,000 hectares expected to be submerged, and that the alternative land would be finalised by the end of November.
The report did not provide details on the nature of the doubts that the minister said had been resolved, the location of the proposed compensatory land or the administrative process for finalising it. It also did not state whether the reported timeline relates to land identification, acquisition or another stage of the rehabilitation process.
Mekedatu is therefore being addressed alongside routine irrigation-system investment, but the two items involve different administrative requirements. The 13 approved works concern funding for identified irrigation infrastructure, while the Mekedatu update concerns land to compensate for the area expected to be submerged. The report did not indicate whether the ₹394 crore approval includes any expenditure related to Mekedatu.
The meeting also decided to withdraw a proposal to shift the headquarters of the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam’s managing director from Bengaluru to Belagavi, the minister said. The available report did not give reasons for retaining the office in Bengaluru or provide further details about the proposal.
The next stated milestones are the issuance of directions on compensatory land for the Mekedatu project within the week and finalisation of that land by the end of November. Further information on the 13 sanctioned works, including their individual costs and execution timelines, was not included in the report.
