Bengaluru/Koppala, Aug 21: Deputy Chief Minister and Irrigation Minister DK Shivakumar today said that the quick and efficient repair of the damaged crest gate of Thungabhadra dam has answered the critics in a befitting manner.
Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence and later at Ginigera airport, Koppala, he said, “Criticisms die and good work lives on. The technicians, officials, engineers labour, MLAs and district in charge minister burnt midnight oil to fix the damaged crest gate at Thungabhadra dam. The fixing of crest gates in quick time has saved a lot of water in the dam and we have managed to save hardship to our farmers by God’s grace.”
Navali dam
Asked if Thungabhadra dam has a low lifespan, “There is no issue at all. Half a TMC of silt was expected settle every year. M B Patil had spoken about it in the past. We will work on the Navali balancing reservoir as well. This project has already been included in the budget.”
Asked about replacing crest gates every 45 years, he said, “I am not a technical expert. We have formed a technical committee to evaluate safety of all dams in the state and it has commenced its work already. The committe will give a detailed safety audit report for all dams in the state. The government will act on the safety audit as necessary.
Bagina for Thungabhadra as soon as it is full
“Chief Minister and I will offer Bagina to Thungabhadra as soon as it is full. The dam will be full soon,” he said.
“The crest gate was repaired in just four days, thanks to the help from Narayana Engineering, Jindal and Hindustan Engineering. The government will honour each of the person who worked to fix the crest gate. The whole nation was watching the event and we succeeded in fixing it in quick time.”