Land acquisition pending to complete Varahi drinking water project, says Udupi MLA

Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna said on Tuesday (October 28) that the Varahi drinking water project, meant for round-the-clock water supply to Udupi city and some villages in Udupi district, has been delayed as Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) is yet to acquire about 700 metres of private land required for laying pipeline in Halady village.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC), he said that ₹75 lakh might be needed to purchase the private land and about ₹2.50 crore is required to complete the project works on the land to be acquired.

KUIDFC officials should revise the project plan and sort out this bottleneck at the earliest, he said, adding that he realised there was this pending land acquisition during his recent field visit to Halady.

The MLA took KUIDFC engineers to task for not bringing the pending land acquisition matter to the notice of elected representatives.

He suggested KUIDFC engineers to deposit ₹5 crore with Udupi CMC, so that it can manage water supply through tankers during crises.

Earlier, councillors at the meeting, cutting across party lines, expressed concern over erratic water supply to several areas of the city. They also expressed their dissatisfaction over the Varahi project not becoming a reality.

Raising the matter for discussion during the Question Hour, Councillor Sumithra R. Nayak said that earlier, Udupi CMC was managing the water supply from Baje Dam to the city without many glitches. But during the transition period (of water supply) now, KUIDFC, which is implementing the Varahi drinking water project, has erred, she alleged.

Kalmady Ward Councillor Sundar J. Kalmady said that many people in his ward faced severe water supply problems on Deepavali.

Udupi CMC Commissioner Mahantesh Hangaragi said that he would convene a meeting of Udupi CMC engineers and KUIDFC engineers to ensure better coordination during the transition period to ensure better water supply in city.