In support of the river-linking project, representatives of different political parties attending a meeting together under the leadership of seers of various mutts at Hukkeri Mutt in Haveri on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SANJAY RITTI
While opposition is building in Uttara Kannada to the Bedti-Varada river-linking project, a movement in support of the move to implement the project has begun in Haveri district with leaders of different political parties coming together under the leadership of seers of various mutts.
As a step towards giving a fillip to the support movement, a decision to constitute an apolitical committee led by seers was taken at a meeting attended by leaders of the ruling and Opposition parties and farmers leaders in the presence of several seers at Hukkeri Mutt in Haveri on Monday.
The first meeting resolved to take a delegation led by Sri Sadashiva Swami of Hukkeri Mutt to meet the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Union Water Resources Minister and other Union Ministers from the State to prevail upon them and get the project implemented.
Speaking at the meeting, BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai termed the river-linking project as a solution to the drinking water problem in the district.
He volunteered to convince the MP from Uttara Kannada and requested Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Rudrappa Lamani to convince the legislators in that district of the need for the project.
He called upon everyone to fight unitedly forgetting political affiliations to succeed in the implementation of the project.
Mr. Bommai said that the district has moved from a water green zone to a red zone in the last 35 years, highlighting the growing water scarcity.
The former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiated discussions on interlinking of rivers, including the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati in the north and the Godavari, the Krishna and the Cauvery in the south, which he believed held a solution for the future.
He further clarified that the Bedti-Varada project will involve barrages instead of dams, lift irrigation from outside the river basin and these will not damage the environment.
Any minor land loss, he said, can be compensated through alternative arrangements, as decided by experts in the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Byadgi MLA Shivaraj Shivannavar emphasised the need for not mixing politics in the project.
“Uttara Kannada is our neighbouring district and let us apprise them of the scarcity of water and the need for the project,” he said.
Shiggaon MLA Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, Hangal MLA Srinivas Mane concurred with him and emphasised the need for a united fight to get the project implemented.
Sri Sadashiva Swami of Hukkeri Mutt and Sri Channabasaveshwar Swami of Doddahunasi Kalmutt of Savanur spoke about the need for getting the project implemented to mitigate the drinking water problem in the district.
A host of seers, including Basava Shanthalinga Swami of Hosa Mutt, Kumara Swami, Guddlishwar Swami, Shivayogin Swami, Shivabasava Swami, Chandrashekhar Swami, and office-bearers of various organisations and farmers leaders took part in the meeting.
Later, addressing presspersons, Mr. Bommai clarified that the fight for the project is for survival of people in the district and not against anyone.
He said that during March and April, public awareness meetings will be held in every village to build support for the project.
As the region falls under the Tungabhadra-Varada river basin, he said that the project is essential from the drinking water perspective.
Towns, including Haveri, Hanagal, Byadgi, Shiggaon, Savanur and Bankapur, are facing an urgent need for drinking water and awareness programmes will be conducted across all these areas, he said.
Published – January 27, 2026 07:09 pm IST
