District In-charge Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi clarified on Monday that the Karnataka government has not withdrawn the ₹10 crore released for installing new crest gates at the Tungabhadra reservoir.
He was responding to dam construction expert Kannayya Naidu’s recent claim that the state had withdrawn the amount through a book adjustment.
Addressing a press conference here, Tangadagi, who is also chairman of the irrigation consultative committee, said the allegations were baseless.
“Those alleging that Karnataka has taken back the money should produce documents to support their claim. The Tungabhadra Board receives funds from the Centre, contributed by the riparian states as their share. Payments are made every year from this pool through book adjustments. Karnataka has released ₹10 crore to the Board,” he said.
Tangadagi added that Kannayya Naidu may not have accurate information on the matter.
The minister further assured that the replacement of all 33 crest gates of the Tungabhadra dam would be completed within the stipulated timeframe and that farmers downstream would not face any issues regarding the release of irrigation water.