Karnataka Irrigation Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy has ordered contractors and officials to complete delayed components of the Yettinahole project by the end of October, warning that disciplinary action will follow if work falls behind again. The minister issued the deadline during an inspection of Package 18 at Chowdlapur near Tiptur and an elevated trough being built near the Tiptur bypass on Thursday.
The Chowdlapur package had been stalled for nearly two years because of missing documents linked to the land acquisition process, officials informed the minister during his visit. The authorities said the obstacles had now been cleared and construction had resumed at speed. A 22-metre-deep cut has been made in the area, with lining work under way, while cut-and-cover construction has been carried out near the highway.
The package has an estimated cost of ₹606 crore and is reported to be 86% complete. Work is continuing for 22 hours a day, according to the project officials. The minister said there were no reported impediments between this location and Tumakuru and directed that the section must be completed during October.
The inspection also covered the elevated trough near the Tiptur bypass. The structure is being built above the national highway to carry Yettinahole water across the road. Chaluvarayaswamy expressed displeasure that the work had remained incomplete for three years and set the end of October as the deadline for finishing it.
The minister said time management was critical for the project and instructed the department to ensure that construction on the national highway did not disrupt vehicle movement. He warned that contractors and officials would face direct action if the work was delayed again. “I have personally come and inspected the site. There should be no further delay,” he said, according to the report.
The deadline places the focus on two separate execution challenges within the wider water-transfer project: resolving land-related documentation before construction can proceed and completing specialised structures in locations where infrastructure work intersects with active road traffic. The elevated trough, in particular, requires construction above a national highway while maintaining vehicle movement, according to the minister’s instructions.
The inspection was attended by Hassan district in-charge minister Shivalingegowda, Tiptur MLA Shadakshari and Ramendra, managing director of the Visvesvaraya Irrigation Corporation, among others. The department’s next stated milestone is completion of the identified works by the end of October, with action against responsible contractors and officials if the deadline is missed.
